Michigan will have to exorcise some demons if it wants to knock off Texas A&M (Saturday, 5:15 p.m., CBS) to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Wolverines have been plagued by turnovers, poor defensive rebounding, and inconsistent 3-point shooting all year. On Thursday, they faced a UC San Diego team that forces turnovers more effectively than any other team in the field with a confounding mix of defensive looks.
Now, they’ll face the most dominant offensive-rebounding team in the country. A group that has finished first nationally in offensive rebounding rate for back-to-back years and plays an aggressive defensive style that forces turnovers and dares teams to beat it with 3-point jumpers.
An opponent that feels custom-designed to test Michigan’s vulnerabilities.
The Aggies
Texas A&M’s identity is offensive rebounding. The Aggies aren’t a team that is good at offensive rebounding; they are an offensive rebounding team. Texas A&M hauls down 42% of its misses, which is the best in the country.
“We led the nation in offensive rebounding last year. We did it again this year,” Buzz Williams said on Wednesday. “What I would say without arrogance is during our time since the pandemic, we have realized that that was a way for us to create a niche at Texas A&M relative to our roster and our style of play, to create a competitive margin.
“Last year, we shot more balls than any team in Division I over the last seven years. A lot of that is because we don’t make shots. A lot of that is because we rebound the shots that we miss.”
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