Michigan basketball faces another challenging non-conference opponent on a neutral floor on Wednesday night at the Jumpan Invitational in Charlotte where No. 14 Oklahoma awaits.
The Sooners are undefeated on the season and won the Battle 4 Atlantis championship with some impressive wins over teams Arizona, Louisville, and Providence, and have a separate win over Oklahoma State.
Yet, Michigan is ranked higher in the Kenpom rankings (22nd to 38th). Defense has been a calling card for the Wolverines, who have the No. 16 adjusted defense.
Michigan basketball gave up way too many points against Arkansas, allowing 89. The Wolverines still allow under a point-per-possession which will be interesting to watch on Wednesday, because the Sooners, coached by Porter Moster, haven't been held under 1 point-per-possession all season.
For 24th-ranked Michigan, it's a chance to redeem themselves in a big spot and add another impressive non-conference win to the NCAA tournament resume. Here are three keys and a prediction.
Take care of the ball
I feel like this could be copied and pasted from every other keys and predictions article, but it's clear so far that turnovers have been the Achilles heel of this team.
Michigan ranks 15th in college basketball in turnovers. That's not where you want to be. Oklahoma is nearly as good at turning teams over, ranking nationally in the top 15. The Sooners force 15.5 per game. Michigan basketball turns it over 15.7 times per game
The Wolverines had 17 turnovers against Arkansas. If Michigan could keep that number around 10 tonight, the Wolverines will win.
Dominate inside
Oklahoma has three players who are 6-foot-9 or taller (Sam Godwin, Luke Northweather and Mohamed Wague) but they play a smaller lineup.
It shouldn't really come as a surprise that the Sooners rank 257th in 2-point field-goal percentage and 342nd in blocks. The Sooners are 269th in offensive rebounds, 295 in defensive rebounds, and the best part of their defense is defending the 3-point shot.
Making the 3-point shot is a big part of their offense but this is a team that Michigan can't allow to get offensive rebounds. On the other end, Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin should dominate in the paint. The Wolverines should also win the battle of the boards.
If they don't that will be a sign of trouble.
Danny Wolf needs to be great at both ends
This is the kind of game where you need your best player to be special. Wolf was that against Arkansas, making 6-of-11 shots for 14 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing nine rebounds. He was credited with three turnovers but he was taking over the game.
The Wolverines will need a similar effort from him. Oklahoma will try to test him defensively too with 6-foot-6 Jalen Moore, who plays the four for the Sooners quite a bit. He averages 17.5 points per game and this will be a great test for Wolf on defense, but so far this season, he's met the challenge.
If Wolf is able to do it tonight, that would be another encouraging sign going forward.
Michigan vs. Oklahoma prediction
The Wolverines defense will do enough to bottle up the 3-point shooting of Oklahoma, plus Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin will own the paint in an outright win (with the points).
Prediction: Michigan 80, Oklahoma 74