Michigan basketball: 3 Keys to a victory over Colorado State

Limit the threes

Individually, 35% on 3-pointers isn’t that great, but as a team, 35% is really good. That’s the challenge that Colorado State presents. It means that 1-5, Colorado State has a lineup that makes a three better than a third of the time. They have good shooters all across the board and the first thing Michigan basketball needs to do is defend the three-point line.

Maybe switching to a zone at various points in this game would be beneficial, but Michigan cannot allow any player on Colorado State to get hot from three. We all know that Michigan has been very hot and cold when it comes to the three-pointer this year, and the worst possible scenario would be for them to get in a 3-point shootout with Colorado State.

If Michigan basketball happened to be off from three itself (which very well could happen unfortunately), and Colorado State was hot, it would be a very long night. Caleb Houstan still hunts his shot, and has been very inconsistent this year, and Eli Brooks can’t carry the entire load.

We don’t want Hunter Dickinson to start hoisting up 3s either. Every possession is crucial in the tournament. I know Hunter can make those, but we won’t need him there unless we are up by a lot, or Juwan really feels comfortable with him taking a three at an opportune time.