Texas Tech is No. 1 in the nation in defense … Michigan is No. 2. That stat alone has many pundits predicting a low scoring affair when the two meet Thursday night.
The Sweet 16 matchup is intriguing in that both pay extreme attention to detail on the defense end. But there are differences, Tech assistant Mark Adams said, and some things U-M does the former longtime head coach wishes his team could emulate.
“I always had real good defensive teams as a head coach, so instilling that will … we’re going to guard people,” Adams said when asked about his fit on head coach Chris Beard’s staff. “If you don’t guard, you’re not going to play for us, so from day one we’ve preached defense.”
There are similarities between the two teams, he continued.
“Some things I envy,” he admitted. “I think they do a great job guarding the basketball, collapsing on the ball when driven on. I wish we did a better job of that. But both teams contest the three-point shot and like running people off the three point line.
“I have great respect for them. I always like those great defensive teams. There’s that elite few with Michigan, Virginia ... Houston plays great defense. They’re excellent. I’m always watching and try to learn. I not only respect them, but I just have admiration for them and the job they do.”
Guard Matt Mooney, who considered Michigan as a grad transfer from South Dakota, compared the Wolverines to Kansas State when asked for a comparison, particularly because of the way they play defense. Mooney shot 38.7 percent from three-point range but knows the looks could be tough to come by Thursday night.
“They really guard you well, get in gaps, rotate well, but Michigan is the best team we’ve played all year, right up with Duke and Kansas State,” he said. “We’ve got a little bit different defensive styles. We try to keep the ball out of the middle, and they kind of square you up and really guard you. They switch up ball screen tactics, switch up their defensive tactics. We don’t do that as much.
“They’ve got a lot of size and length, have really good on ball defenders, great athletes and a point guard [in Zavier Simpson] who is real quick, has real quick hands, gets a lot of steals. Their big guy [Jon Teske] is a rim protector.”
Their commitment to it — and to each other — is what sets them apart, Adams said.
“They really guard the ball, don’t give up easy baskets,” he said. “You can just tell their chemistry defensively is just excellent.
“We have good defensive teams in the Big 12. Kansas State plays great defense. But when you start looking at guarding their length and athleticism and look at [Teske] who is difficult to match up with, they’re unique. I don’t think we’ve faced a team with as many offensive weapons as they have.”
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