Michigan Wolverines basketball won its opening game in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas today, beating Iowa State 83-76. The Wolverines advance to the semifinals and will take on the winner of Alabama vs. North Carolina at 1:30 PM EST Thursday.
Some takeaways from U-M's win:
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1) Turnovers were a big issue.
U-M turned it over 22 times in the game. Senior point guard Zavier Simpson had 8, the most he's ever recorded in a game at U-M. The pace in the first half was way too frantic. Iowa State pressured the ball and played good defense on the ball, but the Wolverines were forcing too many passes, as they have done during some stretches this season.
Iowa State stayed in the game because of U-M's carelessness. The Cyclones scored 29 points off turnovers. At halftime, U-M had turned it over 11 times (more than they averaged per game last season) and we thought they would clean it up in the second half. That wasn't the case, as they turned it over the same amount in the second half. If you allow teams who shouldn't be in the game with you to stay in games, it doesn't bode well for when you play teams that are on your level or have more talent.
If North Carolina is the opponent tomorrow, the Tar Heels will wipe the (slippery) floor with the Wolverines, if they turn it over 22 times. We expect head coach Juwan Howard and his staff to emphasize playing cleaner tomorrow.
