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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Know Your Opponent: Michigan
November 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball
By Bobby Hundley
Michigan (MGoBlue.com)
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Rankings: No. 7 KenPom, No. 7 AP
Record: 6-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 4-2 (Carolina 86, Michigan 71, Nov. 29, 2017, Chapel Hill)
Carolina and Michigan complete an ACC-Big Ten Challenge home-and-home series Wednesday when the Tar Heels take on the Wolverines at the Crisler Center. Last year's NCAA runners-up are unbeaten and largely untested, thanks to a devastating performance in their 73-46 win at Villanova that stands as one of the best wins of the year for anyone in college basketball.
Just as it did in 2017-18, John Beilein's club is winning with defense first so far this year. The Wolverines rank No. 1 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com and, in purely raw numbers, the scores grab your attention -- four times in six games Michigan opponents have failed to reach 50 points.Â
Canadian freshman Ignas Brazdeikis is filling the void left by Mo Wagner's departure with a team-high 15.7 points per contest as a stretch 4 in Beilein's potent offensive scheme. He and 6-6 senior Charles Matthews (14.5 ppg) figure to be a matchup problem for most opponents this year, with 6-7 sophomore Isaiah Livers (55 percent from 3) proving to be a solid third inside-outside weapon.
Junior point guard Zavier Simpson is among the nation's best in assist rate, while sophomore Jordan Poole rounds out the starting lineup after being a key contributor off the bench as a freshman.Â
The key for U-M has been elite defense without fouling. Michigan is tops in the country in both 2-point FG% defense and effective FG% defense, and the Wolverines are third in defensive free throw rate. And while overall the Maize and Blue has struggled at times both in making shots and collecting second chances, they are boosted in terms of shot volume by rarely turning the ball over.
Last year's meeting was something of a coming out party for Luke Maye, who led all scorers with 27 points and made 11 of 15 field goal attempts (10-14 from 2) while chipping in six rebounds and three assists. It may take a similarly impressive stat line from a Tar Heel to make a dent in the impressive Michigan defense Wednesday night.Â
Michigan (MGoBlue.com)
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Rankings: No. 7 KenPom, No. 7 AP
Record: 6-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 4-2 (Carolina 86, Michigan 71, Nov. 29, 2017, Chapel Hill)
Carolina and Michigan complete an ACC-Big Ten Challenge home-and-home series Wednesday when the Tar Heels take on the Wolverines at the Crisler Center. Last year's NCAA runners-up are unbeaten and largely untested, thanks to a devastating performance in their 73-46 win at Villanova that stands as one of the best wins of the year for anyone in college basketball.
Just as it did in 2017-18, John Beilein's club is winning with defense first so far this year. The Wolverines rank No. 1 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com and, in purely raw numbers, the scores grab your attention -- four times in six games Michigan opponents have failed to reach 50 points.Â
Canadian freshman Ignas Brazdeikis is filling the void left by Mo Wagner's departure with a team-high 15.7 points per contest as a stretch 4 in Beilein's potent offensive scheme. He and 6-6 senior Charles Matthews (14.5 ppg) figure to be a matchup problem for most opponents this year, with 6-7 sophomore Isaiah Livers (55 percent from 3) proving to be a solid third inside-outside weapon.
Junior point guard Zavier Simpson is among the nation's best in assist rate, while sophomore Jordan Poole rounds out the starting lineup after being a key contributor off the bench as a freshman.Â
The key for U-M has been elite defense without fouling. Michigan is tops in the country in both 2-point FG% defense and effective FG% defense, and the Wolverines are third in defensive free throw rate. And while overall the Maize and Blue has struggled at times both in making shots and collecting second chances, they are boosted in terms of shot volume by rarely turning the ball over.
Last year's meeting was something of a coming out party for Luke Maye, who led all scorers with 27 points and made 11 of 15 field goal attempts (10-14 from 2) while chipping in six rebounds and three assists. It may take a similarly impressive stat line from a Tar Heel to make a dent in the impressive Michigan defense Wednesday night.Â
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