Michigan basketball is coming off of an electric win against Alabama in which the Wolverines outscored the Crimson Tide by 15 in the second half to advance to the Elite 8. It was a strange game in the sense that Michigan didn't get the production it expected to from its big men.
Rather, the Wolverines ended up playing Alabama's game and playing it better than the Crimson Tide. The Wolverines made 13 three pointers compared to Alabama's 14, but shot twenty fewer 3-point attempts.
Michigan was dominant offensively despite Aday Mara and Morez Johnson combining for just 15 points on 7-of-18 from the field. Heading into that game, most thought that Johnson and Mara would have a chance to dominate the less physical Crimson Tide. That was not the case.
The biggest key for Michigan basketball against Tennessee
Against Tennessee, Johnson and Mara are going to face their toughest test of the season. The Volunteers live on the offensive glass. Their entire offense is focused on getting offensive rebounds that lead to high percentage shots. The Volunteers are the best offensive rebounding team in the nation, rebounding ~45% of their missed shots.
Michigan is the unique team that can match Tennessee's rebounding prowess, and the Wolverines will have to if they want a spot in the Final Four. That means that Aday Mara and Morez Johnson have to be on their A game. It would be nice to get more offensive production out of them, but they absolutely need to be dominant rebounders.
Tennessee doesn't shoot a lot of threes. They're almost the opposite of Alabama in that sense. For them to beat Michigan, they're going to need to win the rebounding battle. If Morez Johnson and Aday Mara can keep the Volunteers off of the glass, Michigan should be able to punch its ticket to the Final Four.