Michigan walked out of Columbus with a ten point win on Tuesday evening thanks to a stellar second half offensive showing and a noticeably improved defensive effort. The Wolverine defense was ugly for the first 10 minutes, but managed to shore things up in the final 30 minutes.
The Wolverines packed the lane against Ohio State and dared the Buckeyes to shoot. That resulted in Ohio State attempting 20 threes, but only making three of them. The strategy worked, despite Michigan’s struggles defending the three-point shot in recent games.
- For the second game in a row, Jon Horford graded out much better than Jordan Morgan defensively. Considering how much better Horford’s +/- was for this game, that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Horford’s ball screen hedging is still a work in progress (he was whistled for a foul on the hedge in the second half), but he continues to improve and provides more length around the basket.
- Nik Stauskas was burned early in transition defense – a big reason for his 6.5 made field goals allowed – but he made up a lot of ground as Lenzelle Smith Jr. continued to fire up missed threes. Stauskas played Smith a bit soft, but it appears that was by design.
- I thought Derrick Walton played a terrific defensive game. He graded out in the middle of the pack, but he negated Craft’s ability to create much offense, rebounded and forced two critical turnovers in the second half — a quarter of the turnovers that Michigan forced in the game.
- By my notes, the majority of LaQuinton Ross’s production came when Glenn Robinson III was switched off of him, or in transition. Zak Irvin and Nik Stauskas really struggled when Ross had either of them down low – those probably aren’t fair matchups, but Michigan doesn’t have another choice. Robinson graded out as Michigan’s top defender that played significant minutes.
- Zak Irvin continues to experience some growing pains defensively, which he manages to make up for on offense. He’s in a tough spot playing the four position, but he needs to continue to learn to defend on the interior and also close out more effectively on shooters.
- Caris LeVert had an uncharacteristically low defensive usage rate. That’s probably a positive sign as LeVert had a defensive usage rate over 20 percent in the last two games. LeVert, who had spent most of the last few weeks chasing around the likes of Yogi Ferrell, Devyn Marble and Gary Harris, had the opportunity to guard less important cogs of the Buckeye offense.
PREVIOUS DEFENSIVE SCORE SHEETS:
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Iowa
- Defensive Score Sheet: Nebraska at Michigan
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Indiana
- Defensive Score Sheet: Purdue at Michigan
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Michigan State
- Defensive Score Sheet: Iowa at Michigan
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Wisconsin
- Defensive Score Sheet: Penn State at Michigan
Find the full calculations regarding the defensive score sheet here. The primary stats that may be unfamiliar are:
- FM – Forced field goal miss (includes blocks)
- FTO – Forced Turnover (steals, charges taken)
- FFTA – Forced missed Free Throw Attempt
- DFGM – Allowed Defensive Field Goal Made
- DFTM – Allowed Free Throw Made
Defensive Rating (DRtg) is calculated based on the stops and scoring possessions assigned to the player, it’s an estimated measure of points per 100 possessions.
