“Hundred ways to do it right”: How Michigan and Texas Tech share a defensive culture but differ in approach

The two best defenses in college basketball will face off on Thursday night on CBS, but they won’t even look similar.

Texas Tech’s “no middle” defense versus Michigan’s “guard your yard” defense will be a contrast in styles, but a reminder of the process.

“I guess the big thing is it’s all about culture and the culture that you create,” Michigan assistant coach Luke Yaklich said on Wednesday. “So whatever they are going to, the two or three things that they hang their hat on, they do really well. It was the same thing for us.”

For Texas Tech, that means denying the middle of the floor, pressuring the ball and providing aggressive help. For Michigan, it means staying solid, embracing one-on-one matchups and avoiding over-helping.

“There are a hundred ways to do it right in basketball,” Yaklich said. “You can pick a hundred plays to run and it all revolves around how much you were paying attention to that on a daily basis.”