Michigan preparing to wreak ‘more havoc’ on the perimeter

Michigan preparing to wreak ‘more havoc’ on the perimeter Lune Mathis/DAILY. Buy this photo. For any team facing the Michigan men’s basketball team last season, the problem was always in the paint. In fact, there were three problems: former center Aday Mara and former forwards Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg. The trio’s combination of size and versatility kept the rim untouchable for opposing offenses, ranking first in the nation in defensive rating and second in blocks per game. However, those harrowing numbers will likely not extend into this season. With this trio of lottery-picks leaving for the NBA, the Wolverines will certainly not find the same level of dominance defending down low. But that doesn’t mean Michigan’s defense as a whole isn’t intent on making a splash — it just needs to be a bit more disruptive on the perimeter to do so. “We’ll need to be a team that probably creates a little bit more chaos, a little bit on the perimeter, if you will,” Wolverines coach Mike Boynton said Oct. 8 at Big Ten Media Days. “Maybe be a little bit more active, disruptive, give more deflections. Maybe we’re a team that just does more verticality, takes more charges when we can. But the elements of our switch game and stuff like that will be more.” On Sunday, Michigan certainly caused its fair share of chaos for Eastern Michigan, tallying a grand total of nine steals and forcing 21 turnovers. Up and down the lineup, the Wolverines found success in disrupting passing lanes and knowing when to peel off their man for an unexpected tip. And when they weren’t swiping the ball, they were applying suffocating pressure that forced bad passes and kept the Eagles off tilt in transition for lost ball turnovers. And beyond keeping Eastern Michigan unbalanced, Michigan also tapered the Eagles’ already struggling 3-point shooting capabilities. The same on ball pressure that the Wolverines used to draw turnovers also forced Eastern Michigan to take poorly timed shots from downtown — culminating in a 2-for-11 clip from the perimeter.  All this being said, it doesn’t mean Boynton and his defense intend to abandon their old bread and butter.  “We’re not as imposing at the rim, I think that stood out to me, but we did force level turnovers more than we normally have the last few years,” Boynton said Sunday. “So we’ll kind of see how much of a balance we can find between protecting the rim with shot blocking versus being more disruptive and causing more havoc on the perimeter.” When he was on the court, junior center Moustapha Thiam kept the paint locked down. He routinely closed off drives into the middle and his four blocks underscored the formidable presence he had near the rim. Still, Michigan’s other bigs didn’t have the same defensive success, and the defensive balance the Wolverines are seeking hasn’t yet been fully realized. Losing the pieces that made Michigan’s national championship defense incredibly puzzling to its opponents is certainly a blow to the program. But maybe this shakeup will be exactly what the Wolverines need to cause a little chaos across the whole halfcourt. Related articles