3 keys and a prediction for Michigan Women’s basketball vs UNLV in NCAA tournament

The Michigan women’s basketball team will take on UNLV on Friday and here’s a preview as well as a prediction for the Wolverines and Running Rebels.

While the Michigan women’s basketball team didn’t finish the way that it wanted to at the end of the regular season or the Big Ten tournament, the Wolverines are still a No. 6 seed and are looking for their third straight trip to the Sweet 16.

Michigan women’s basketball comes in with a 22-9 record. They will face UNLV which is seeded 11th in the region and boasts a record of 31-2.

It should be a fun matchup as both the Wolverines and Rebels are high-scoring. The matchup will tip-off in Baton Rouge at 3 PM EST on ESPNU. Here are three keys and a prediction for Michigan women’s basketball vs UNLV.

3-point shooting will be huge

The Wolverines have some shooters especially with Laila Phelia back in the lineup. Maddie Nolan, Leigha Brown, Emily Kiser, and others are capable of making shots from beyond the arc.

But UNLV is too. The Rebels actually rank 74th in the country in 3-point percentage, which isn’t great when you consider that the Wolverines are 330th in defensive 3-point field-goal percentage.

UNLV doesn’t attempt a ton. They are middle of the road in attempts and makes. Yet, they rank 18th in 2-point field-goal percentage and you can see where an inside-out game can be developed.

Michigan women’s basketball needs to limit those attempts, force two 2-pointers, and facing a defense that ranks 225h in 3-point percentage U-M needs to hit some shots.

Take advantage on the boards

UNLV has just one player that stands 6-foot-1 or taller. The Rebels are a pretty good rebounding team according to the stats and the Wolverines aren’t that great. But that’s the Big Ten against the Mountain West.

Michigan women’s basketball has nine of its top players at 6 feet or taller. That doesn’t mean Michigan will automatically win the battle of the boards, but the Wolverines need to take advantage of their size and get some offensive rebounds.

One good thing is that Michigan is as healthy as it has been. The Wolverines struggled with two of their best players dealing with injuries. So this Michigan squad is better than it has shown and I think one place it can build an advantage against the Rebels is on the boards.

Get Leigha and Laila going

Both Brown and Phelia have missed time at the end of the season. They both played at the Big Ten tournament and they are key to Michigan women’s basketball making another Sweet 16 run.

Good guard play is essential in the tournament. Kiser is going to have to be tough down low. She will need to rebound the ball but Brown and Phelia are good rebounding guards in addition to what they can do on the offensive end.

If they play well, Michigan will win the game. It’s kind of that simple.

Prediction

Michigan has won five games over the past two NCAA tournaments. UNLV was knocked out in the first round a year ago and with their shooters, they are a scary first-round matchup.

However, the Wolverines will start fast in my opinion, and use their size to their advantage on both ends of the floor in a first-round victory for Michigan.