3/27/2021 football Edit

Roundtable: Will U-M Make The Final Four? Who Is Jim Harbaugh's Quarterback

Chris Balas • Maize&BlueReview

Senior Editor

Michigan enters the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight time. How far will the Wolverines go? Plus, how will U-M's quarterback battle shake out on the gridiron?

We tackles those questions and more in today's roundtable with members of TheWolverine.com staff ...

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Finish this statement — Michigan beats Florida State and advances to the Sweet 16 if …

CHRIS BALAS: The Wolverines don’t get beaten badly on the glass and win the three-point battle.

This is Florida State’s best three-point shooting team in recent memory, and while U-M has done a great job defending the line most of the year, there have been chinks in the armor. Part of it is a result of a few guys (OSU’s Duane Washington, LSU’s Cam Thomas) making ridiculous shots, but there have been too many open looks, too, generated by dribble penetration.

U-M’s guards need to do a better job keeping opponents out of the paint, easier said than done when they’re giving up several inches at each position.

AUSTIN FOX: It scores more points than the Seminoles.

Sure, that is an extremely generic and perhaps boring answer, but after witnessing the high number of stunning upsets so far in this year’s NCAA Tournament, it’s become quite clear there isn’t a single area or two the higher-seeded teams need to execute well in to automatically come away with a win.

Michigan Wolverines head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Juwan Howard have had busy springs.

Some may say the Wolverines need to perform at a high level either offensively or defensively against Florida State, but we’ve seen U-M take down excellent opponents in the past when one side of the ball isn’t clicking. The versatility is one of the strengths of Juwan Howard’s crew, with the squad capable of winning in a variety of ways. The mental aspect (being dialed in and focused for all 40 minutes) may just be the biggest intangible for Michigan coming into this one.

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