Michigan Basketball: 3 predictions for Wolverines against UCF

We break down Michigan basketball against UCF and offer three predictions for the Wolverines and the Golden Knights.

After not playing for nearly two weeks, Michigan basketball will be back on the court Thursday night in Orlando to take on UCF.

The Knights are a solid team that ranks 51st according to the Kenpom rankings. Michigan basketball is 16th right now but the Wolverines haven’t felt like the 16th-best team in college basketball.

There have been signs of improvement. Both the wins over San Diego State and Southern Utah were encouraging but those were sandwiched in between a bad home loss to Minnesota.

UCF is stout defensively and the Golden Knights force a lot of turnovers. Taking care of the ball will be key and we start our three predictions with the point guard position and DeVante Jones.

DeVante Jones turns a corner

The game against Southern Utah was his best as a Wolverine. He was efficient and did a great job of finding open looks for his teammates.

Obviously, it would be great if Jones can knock down 3-pointers with consistency, but the most important thing he needs to do is take care of the ball.

Since the North Carolina game, Jones has committed just two turnovers. He’s also averaged just under five assists per game. Tonight, against UCF, a team that is known for forcing turnovers, I’m predicting another big game from Jones.

He said things are starting to slow down for him and we’ll see tonight in Orlando. I don’t expect a 5-for-6 shooting night, but something like 10 points and eight assists sounds about right, as well as just a turnover or two.