By The Numbers: Michigan Wolverines Basketball And The Big Ten
With Big Ten play resuming this week, here's a look at where Michigan ranks in the conference in all the key statistics.
55.1 points per game. What shouldn’t surprise people is where Michigan’s defense ranks amongst the Big Ten teams. Heading into Wednesday’s action, the Wolverines have the best scoring defense in the conference, only allowing 55.1 points per game. This mark is 2.7 points per game better than the Nebraska, who has the second-best scoring defense in the conference.
73.2 points per game. Though Michigan’s defense is the strongest in the conference, its offense lags behind. Averaging 73.2 points per game on offense, Michigan ranks 12th in that category, 14.4 points behind the No. 1 team in this category Michigan State. One area where Michigan’s offense is strong is from three where the Wolverines are shooting 37.7 percent from three, which is third in the Big Ten.
31.1 percent from three. While Michigan has the best defense in the Big Ten, its defense isn’t great at defending from beyond-the-arc. The Wolverines three-point defense ranks seventh in the conference. While Michigan ranks in the middle of the pack in this category, Michigan isn’t allowing many threes. Teams have only shot 66 threes so far this season against the Wolverines, which is the third lowest in the Big Ten.
1.5 assists to turnover ratio. Michigan has the third best assist to turnover ratio in the conference behind Michigan State and Wisconsin. While the Spartans average significantly more assists per game, they also turn the ball over at a higher rate than the Wolverines. Michigan is averaging 9.6 turnovers per game, which is the second lowest average in the conference behind Wisconsin at 9.2.
16.5 points per game. Freshman phenom Ignas Brazdeikis is scoring 16.5 points per game, which is tied for ninth-most in the Big Ten with Maryland’s Anthony Cowan and Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson. The current leading scorer in the conference is Purdue’s Carsen Edwards who is averaging 25.8 points per game. Brazdeikis is the second-highest freshman scorer in the conference, only behind Indiana guard Romeo Langford who is averaging 17.5 points per game.
51.7 percent shooting. Sophomore forward Jordan Poole is shooting 51.7 from the field, which is the highest on the team and ranks 15th in the Big Ten. Maryland’s sophomore center Bruno Fernando is leading the conference shooting 70.2 percent from the field. His three-point shooting percentage of 50.0 percent is the second highest in the conference behind Wisconsin redshirt sophomore D’Mitrik Trice, who is shooting 50.7 from three. Fellow sophomore forward Isiah Livers is third in the conference, shooting 46.5 percent from three. Poole has made 34 threes through 13 games, which is the sixth most in the conference.
6.2 assists per game. Junior point guard Zavier Simpson is averaging 6.2 assists per game so far this season, which is the second-highest average in the conference behind Michigan State’s junior point guard Cassius Winston who is averaging 7.5 assists per game. Simpson is over one assist per game ahead of Rutgers Geo Baker, who is averaging the third most assists per game in the Big Ten. Simpson assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.1 is the fourth best in the Big Ten. Not only is Simpson one of the best at dishing out assists, he is one of the best in the conference at getting steals. His 1.5 steals per game is the fifth best in the conference.
27 blocked shots. Junior center Jon Teske is tied for the second-most blocked shots in the conference as he and Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu are both averaging 2.1 blocks per game. They are both five blocks behind Fernnando.
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