Michigan are back in the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year, currently a streak only topped by Gonzaga, and equaled by just two other programs in Kentucky and Purdue. The Wolverines will be looking to advance to yet another Elite Eight, though, as they open their regional title defense in Anaheim against Texas Tech's vaunted defense. What to make of this TTU team? Here is everything you need to know.
Texas Tech -- An Overview:
Currently eighth in KenPom and sixth in Torvik, the Red Raiders helped finally put an end to the Kansas domination of the Big 12 as they earned a share of the regular season conference crown. Texas Tech is the nation's best defense according to KenPom, and the second-best, behind Michigan, according to Torvik. At 28-6, they have used this defense to push them through a tough Big 12 conference schedule and into the NCAA Tournament. TTU started the season 10-0, only suffering a loss in Madison Square Garden to Duke, no shame in that. Despite the weak non-conference schedule, it ranks just 310th on KenPom, they were able to take care of business overall. Wins over Arkansas at home and Memphis, Nebraska, and USC on neutral sites were their key non-conference wins which, while solid resume-builders, none of those three are true statements wins. In conference, their damage was done to close the regular season, as they won nine straight to earn their share of the conference crown. During this stretch, the only team they played (and subsequently beat) twice was Oklahoma State, and the only team they did not face was fellow co-champion, Kansas State, who they beat at home in their second conference game. In their opening Big 12 Tournament game, however, West Virginia would trip them up, knocking them out of consideration for a two seed, and firmly into a three seed. They have opened the NCAA Tournament campaign with dominant wins over fourteen seed Northern Kentucky and six seed Buffalo.
As a team, Texas Tech is based around defense, but how so? This, after all, was a team that before Chris Beard was 84th in AdjD according to Torvik, and just marginally better at 72th on KenPom. The key has been sound and strong principals, with an aggressive man-to-man defense. The Red Raiders can, and often do, switch on everything. Their ball screen hedges are aggressive, and because of their over-help it means their mobile bigs can focus on the guard with the ball on the perimeter instead of trying to hurry back. The help is key for Texas Tech, and is something that contrasts the Michigan defense. With the ball on one side of the court, often times whomever is covering the man in the opposite corner will leak over to their block in order to offer help. The thought is that very few players at this collegiate level will be able to make the cross-court passes necessary to exploit this over-helping of the defense. There are, however, some general flaws that can be pointed out. The defense is elite, sure, and at 30.1% the TTU defense's three point FG% is 18th in the country. Despite this, they allow 158th most threes taken, a fairly sizable amount. They, themselves, have taken just 663 threes, good only for 257th, with only two players shooting over 35% this season. Similarly, despite forcing the 20th most turnovers in the country, they turn the ball over themselves about 12.4 times per game, again, a middling 171st in the land. A lot of what they do well in forcing upon other teams are things they do not exactly carry out. That said, the aggressiveness of the defense is enough to scare plenty of opponents.
Starting Five:
Texas Tech's biggest star, and key player in general, is sophomore Jarrett Culver. The 6'6" guard was a preseason Blue Ribbon Fourth Team All-American, and has backed that up with a season that has garnered NBA hype. Culver was named the Big 12's Player of the Year this season as a sophomore, and by way of that, a member of the Big 12 All-First Team as a unanimous choice. Culver has become the most essential player for this TTU team making the freshman-to-sophomore jump from important role player to the star of the team. He averages 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He has scored in single-figures just once this season, a nine-point game against Kansas State, but has a pair of games with at least thirty points, including a twelve-for-thirteen, thirty-point outing against Abilene Christian. Culver's usage rate jumped from 21.3% to 31.5% from last season to this, and while his three point percentage has dropped from 38.2% to 33.1%, he has taken many, many more shots as a whole. While his three point attempts have stayed fairly similar, he has taken 340 shots from two, way up from just 175 from his freshman season, and is up from 51.4% to 54.7% on those shots. Culver is an elite scorer in any aspect, but his glaring weakness is the three point shot this season. Culver's 3P% in Big 12 games has dropped from 41.9% to just 24.7% from freshman to sophomore year. Charles Matthews is almost certainly going to be locked in a battle with Culver and will need to try and cover the drive and force contested shots behind the arc from Culver. His turnovers are high, with 2.7 per game, so forcing contested drive-and-kicks could also be a possibility for Matthews when it comes to slowing the all-everything swing-man for Texas Tech. If Culver can get locked up, that is a big start for Michigan.
Culver's deputy has been yet another breakout sophomore, perhaps more of a breakout performer than Culver, in Davide Moretti. Moretti is a 6'2" guard who spent the summer leading the Italian U20 Team in scoring with just under thirteen per game at the FIBA U20 European Championships. Moretti was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team as a reward for what has been a stellar season. Just turning 21 on the 25th of March, Moretti has gone from a bench piece averaging 3.5 points a game to a sniper from distance. His jump from 31.7% to 45.4% from three has been a huge boost for TTU, and his PORPAGATU! is second on the team with 4.6, which is only 0.1 behind Culver for the team-high. He averages 11.5 points per game on 49.8% shooting overall, and has improved from two as well, jumping from 38.2% to 56.3% inside the arc this season. In regular season play in 2019, which is more simply Big 12 play and the Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Arkansas, Moretti shot 53.3% from three on an average of 4.8 attempts per game. In the NCAA Tournament, Moretti has been zero-for-seven, but has still been in double-figures both games, highlighting his newfound importance and ability to score in many aspects. He has said that he is "pretty sure" he will return to Texas Tech for his junior year instead of going pro, likely in Europe, which is a huge boost for the Raiders of next season as they are set to lose their other five starters. I would imagine Jordan Poole is going to guard Moretti, given Moretti's ability off the ball. The key is to respect the drives, as well as guarding the perimeter, and that unique skill set of Moretti is something that Poole has the length to do, but must stay locked in.
The key big man for the Red Raiders has been Tariq Owens, one of two grad transfers -- which Chris Beard has a tendency to frequently use. Owens joined from St. John's for his final collegiate season, and the 6'10" forward has used his length to great advantages this season. With a PORPAGATU! of 3.7, Owens is the key big man of this team. Owens was an Honorable Mention to the All-Big 12 teams while also being named to the All-Defensive Team for the conference. Owens is averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, to go with 2.4 blocks a game, making this his third straight season of 2.2 blocks or more per game. Owens will shoot from three, but with 6-for-27 (22.2%) shooting from long range on the season, he is not a serious concern from outside. He is 68.5% from two, though, making him tough to handle inside. His length offers teams discomfort in approaches to guarding him, and his length also makes Texas Tech's defense go. Able to cover distance, defend guards, and take up space in the paint, there is a reason he was named into the All-Defensive Team. He has garnered NBA speculation, but given how raw the senior still is, and his lanky frame being just 205 pounds, he is a bit of an afterthought at least when it comes to getting drafted. While he may be slightly limited offensively, the lob must be watched for and when driving inside, players need to beware of Owens in the paint. On defense, he is elite when it comes to protecting the rim. I think Owens matches up with Jon Teske inside to neutralize the center's strengths on the interior.
The second grad transfer, Matt Mooney, is also the third player, joining Culver and Moretti, to average at least thirty minutes per game. Mooney is a 6'3" guard who was a hotly recruited grad transfer out of South Dakota as a scorer and shooter. Mooney's recruitment as a grad transfer has paid dividends as Mooney was named Second Team All-Big 12 as well as All-Defensive Team in what will be his lone season in red. Mooney's average of about 18.7 points per game over his career in South Dakota was not reached this season with TTU, but he's been just as productive overall, just with fewer shots needed out of him. While the point guard of the team, allowing Moretti to operate off ball, he does indeed still get his shots. He averages 9.4 attempts per game, but has hit a career-low of 41.9% overall. This has not reflected a drop in three point percentage, however, as Mooney has shot 38.1% on 105 attempts from deep this season. He averages 1.8 steals and 3.3 assists, highlighting the other aspects of his game that may be important to keep an eye on. Mooney also shoots 47.2% from three in his last ten games, meaning he is going to be heavily watched as he has begun to heat up over the latter portion of the season. Mooney and Moretti give TTU two opportunities to spread the floor and especially with Culver's high-usage rate, this becomes especially dangerous. I'm looking for Zavier Simpson to guard him on the ball and look to make things difficult on him when he wishes to give the ball up.
The final member of the Texas Tech starting five is Norense Odiase. The 6'8" center is a redshirt senior, having earned a medical redshirt to sit out his true junior year with a foot injury and only playing in a small handful of games. Odiase's impact is generally felt off the boxscore and more in the actual game flow. Averaging 4.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game is not eye-popping, but Odiase is heavier than his front-court mate by over fifty pounds and is sturdy inside. He plays great interior defense and while he does not have the length of Owens, Odiase is still a long individual that can disrupt shooters in the paint. His game against Buffalo made him stand out far above the rest of the Red Raiders where, despite a brilliant team effort, Odiase logged fourteen points on just four shots, making all four, and snared fifteen rebounds in only 25 minutes. Odiase lives in the paint and is shooting 58.2% (53-for-91) entirely from two. The question here becomes who Odiase guards, and I think it'll be Ignas Brazdeikis. Odiase may struggle if Brazdeikis decides to shoot a substantial amount of threes, but his strength combined with adequate foot speed, plus the dreaded help from the TTU defense, could be enough to neutralize the drives to the rim Brazdeikis favors so much. Look for the pick-and-pop with Simpson and Brazdeikis to be out in full effect for Michigan to try and get something going either from the perimeter or inside on a mismatch.
Bench Rundown:
The first man off the bench has generally been Brandone Francis. Francis is a 6'5" redshirt senior that hails from Puerto Rico and started his collegiate career at Florida. Francis transferred from the Gators after averaging two points in 29 games as a freshman. Francis serves as a key sixth man, playing more minutes per game than any other bench player as well as Odiase. He is averaging 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting almost 34% from three. Francis had a stretch during the regular season of eight games with at least one made three, and in that stretch he was shooting 48.3% from long range. Since that streak ended, he has been just 28.6% from beyond the arc, this being over the last seven games. That said, his two point percentage has been strong at 56.3% during that stretch, meaning his points per game average actually increased over the seasonal average up to 6.7. Even odder, this season has seen Francis shoot just 38.5% from two, meaning that the guard was under 35% during the season prior to the last seven games. He has a nice stroke, and the way he plays forces teams into defensive curveballs to plan for him, but he needs to return to earlier-season form from long range.
The lone freshman of the Red Raiders' rotation has been Kyler Edwards this season. From Arlington, but prepping at Findlay in Nevada, the guard stands 6'3" and has played in every single game this season. Edwards averages 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in eighteen minutes even per game. He is well-versed in shooting from both two and three, where he is shooting 41.7% from three (25-for-60) and 38.1% (37-for-97) from two. Early in the season, Edwards played some big games, including scoring nineteen points on a perfect seven-for-seven shooting night (four-for-four from three) against Northern Colorado. Lately, however, he has seen his minutes, and shot attempts, take a decline as the season picks up heat. Over the last five games he has averaged just barely over ten minutes per game and taken a total of eight shots, three from three. A lot of this season has been managing and building confidence for the freshman. He will almost certainly be the second-highest minute-getter that will return to Texas Tech next season. A bigger role will be asked, and needed, out of him next season.
Rounding out the rotation is redshirt sophomore Deshawn Corprew. Listed as a forward but standing just 6'5", Corprew offers Chris Beard an option to go small with his line-up while keeping up the physicality. Corprew was 2018's top JuCo commit according to 24/7Sports (as former TTU recruit Jordan Brangers did not join a school and went pro) and his signing has paid off. Corprew averages 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds on incredibly hot 57.4% shooting overall. Corprew is 41.7% from three (20-for-47) but also an incredible 66.7% from two. His PORPAGATU! is highest of any TTU bench players (1.7) and his O-Rating is third on the team at 117.5, while his EFG% leads the team at 65.1%. Corprew has played 34.4% of all minutes this season, so he is not a constant in the line-up, but he is able to come in and provide both offense and toughness on the court. Able to play the two, three, or a smaller four, Corprew is a Swiss army knife off the bench for Beard that can spell one of several key players off the bench.
Final Thoughts:
Looking at what Michigan can do, much of what Texas Tech struggles in can be exploited by the Wolverines this game. The first thing is to avoid turning the ball over. If Michigan can play in control and avoid the havoc that TTU can wreck against teams, they have a good chance of winning. The second thing is the ability to drive and kick. What makes Texas Tech so tough defensively is their ability to pack the middle. Zavier Simpson is going to need to be willing to take on Tariq Owens or Norense Odiase if they switch on him. He, of course, has his hook shot, but more important is going to be the ability to kick to the open corner shooter when the help comes over off the wing. That is why I think Isaiah Livers will play plenty in this game. His lights-out shooting while spotting up should be able to help Michigan when they get stuck in the paint. They have been hurt from three before: Oklahoma State drilled seventeen, thanks largely to several late-game threes from Lindy Waters, Kansas hit thirteen, Baylor hit eleven, even Buffalo hit nine against them. The three point defensive percentage stat can sometimes be lucky, many will acknowledge this. Sometimes open shooters just miss their shot. If Michigan can hit the open ones they get, they may be fine. Even better for Michigan would be to take a page out of Michigan State's playbook and penetrate slightly, only to fire a cross-court pass over to an open shooter in the opposite corner as the Spartans did so well with Cassius Winston and Matt McQuaid. Finally for the Wolverines, pace will be key. Buffalo struggled against Texas Tech because they enjoy faster-paced games. Michigan, on the other hand, does not even hit 65 possessions per game, on average. They sit 8.7 possessions on average fewer than Buffalo does when it comes to the adjusted-tempo stat on KenPom. Texas Tech cannot simply force Michigan to play a half court game like they did with Buffalo, instead they will need to make that adjustment themselves and be able to stop Michigan in their half court sets. Texas Tech's KenPom metrics are remarkably similar to those of Michigan's last season (both teams were 35th in offense, Michigan was third in defense while Texas Tech is first). It will be Michigan against an ever-so-slightly lesser version of them, according to metrics. They will hope to avoid the trap and continue dancing.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
Texas Tech -- An Overview:
Currently eighth in KenPom and sixth in Torvik, the Red Raiders helped finally put an end to the Kansas domination of the Big 12 as they earned a share of the regular season conference crown. Texas Tech is the nation's best defense according to KenPom, and the second-best, behind Michigan, according to Torvik. At 28-6, they have used this defense to push them through a tough Big 12 conference schedule and into the NCAA Tournament. TTU started the season 10-0, only suffering a loss in Madison Square Garden to Duke, no shame in that. Despite the weak non-conference schedule, it ranks just 310th on KenPom, they were able to take care of business overall. Wins over Arkansas at home and Memphis, Nebraska, and USC on neutral sites were their key non-conference wins which, while solid resume-builders, none of those three are true statements wins. In conference, their damage was done to close the regular season, as they won nine straight to earn their share of the conference crown. During this stretch, the only team they played (and subsequently beat) twice was Oklahoma State, and the only team they did not face was fellow co-champion, Kansas State, who they beat at home in their second conference game. In their opening Big 12 Tournament game, however, West Virginia would trip them up, knocking them out of consideration for a two seed, and firmly into a three seed. They have opened the NCAA Tournament campaign with dominant wins over fourteen seed Northern Kentucky and six seed Buffalo.
As a team, Texas Tech is based around defense, but how so? This, after all, was a team that before Chris Beard was 84th in AdjD according to Torvik, and just marginally better at 72th on KenPom. The key has been sound and strong principals, with an aggressive man-to-man defense. The Red Raiders can, and often do, switch on everything. Their ball screen hedges are aggressive, and because of their over-help it means their mobile bigs can focus on the guard with the ball on the perimeter instead of trying to hurry back. The help is key for Texas Tech, and is something that contrasts the Michigan defense. With the ball on one side of the court, often times whomever is covering the man in the opposite corner will leak over to their block in order to offer help. The thought is that very few players at this collegiate level will be able to make the cross-court passes necessary to exploit this over-helping of the defense. There are, however, some general flaws that can be pointed out. The defense is elite, sure, and at 30.1% the TTU defense's three point FG% is 18th in the country. Despite this, they allow 158th most threes taken, a fairly sizable amount. They, themselves, have taken just 663 threes, good only for 257th, with only two players shooting over 35% this season. Similarly, despite forcing the 20th most turnovers in the country, they turn the ball over themselves about 12.4 times per game, again, a middling 171st in the land. A lot of what they do well in forcing upon other teams are things they do not exactly carry out. That said, the aggressiveness of the defense is enough to scare plenty of opponents.
Starting Five:
Texas Tech's biggest star, and key player in general, is sophomore Jarrett Culver. The 6'6" guard was a preseason Blue Ribbon Fourth Team All-American, and has backed that up with a season that has garnered NBA hype. Culver was named the Big 12's Player of the Year this season as a sophomore, and by way of that, a member of the Big 12 All-First Team as a unanimous choice. Culver has become the most essential player for this TTU team making the freshman-to-sophomore jump from important role player to the star of the team. He averages 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He has scored in single-figures just once this season, a nine-point game against Kansas State, but has a pair of games with at least thirty points, including a twelve-for-thirteen, thirty-point outing against Abilene Christian. Culver's usage rate jumped from 21.3% to 31.5% from last season to this, and while his three point percentage has dropped from 38.2% to 33.1%, he has taken many, many more shots as a whole. While his three point attempts have stayed fairly similar, he has taken 340 shots from two, way up from just 175 from his freshman season, and is up from 51.4% to 54.7% on those shots. Culver is an elite scorer in any aspect, but his glaring weakness is the three point shot this season. Culver's 3P% in Big 12 games has dropped from 41.9% to just 24.7% from freshman to sophomore year. Charles Matthews is almost certainly going to be locked in a battle with Culver and will need to try and cover the drive and force contested shots behind the arc from Culver. His turnovers are high, with 2.7 per game, so forcing contested drive-and-kicks could also be a possibility for Matthews when it comes to slowing the all-everything swing-man for Texas Tech. If Culver can get locked up, that is a big start for Michigan.
Culver's deputy has been yet another breakout sophomore, perhaps more of a breakout performer than Culver, in Davide Moretti. Moretti is a 6'2" guard who spent the summer leading the Italian U20 Team in scoring with just under thirteen per game at the FIBA U20 European Championships. Moretti was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team as a reward for what has been a stellar season. Just turning 21 on the 25th of March, Moretti has gone from a bench piece averaging 3.5 points a game to a sniper from distance. His jump from 31.7% to 45.4% from three has been a huge boost for TTU, and his PORPAGATU! is second on the team with 4.6, which is only 0.1 behind Culver for the team-high. He averages 11.5 points per game on 49.8% shooting overall, and has improved from two as well, jumping from 38.2% to 56.3% inside the arc this season. In regular season play in 2019, which is more simply Big 12 play and the Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Arkansas, Moretti shot 53.3% from three on an average of 4.8 attempts per game. In the NCAA Tournament, Moretti has been zero-for-seven, but has still been in double-figures both games, highlighting his newfound importance and ability to score in many aspects. He has said that he is "pretty sure" he will return to Texas Tech for his junior year instead of going pro, likely in Europe, which is a huge boost for the Raiders of next season as they are set to lose their other five starters. I would imagine Jordan Poole is going to guard Moretti, given Moretti's ability off the ball. The key is to respect the drives, as well as guarding the perimeter, and that unique skill set of Moretti is something that Poole has the length to do, but must stay locked in.
The key big man for the Red Raiders has been Tariq Owens, one of two grad transfers -- which Chris Beard has a tendency to frequently use. Owens joined from St. John's for his final collegiate season, and the 6'10" forward has used his length to great advantages this season. With a PORPAGATU! of 3.7, Owens is the key big man of this team. Owens was an Honorable Mention to the All-Big 12 teams while also being named to the All-Defensive Team for the conference. Owens is averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, to go with 2.4 blocks a game, making this his third straight season of 2.2 blocks or more per game. Owens will shoot from three, but with 6-for-27 (22.2%) shooting from long range on the season, he is not a serious concern from outside. He is 68.5% from two, though, making him tough to handle inside. His length offers teams discomfort in approaches to guarding him, and his length also makes Texas Tech's defense go. Able to cover distance, defend guards, and take up space in the paint, there is a reason he was named into the All-Defensive Team. He has garnered NBA speculation, but given how raw the senior still is, and his lanky frame being just 205 pounds, he is a bit of an afterthought at least when it comes to getting drafted. While he may be slightly limited offensively, the lob must be watched for and when driving inside, players need to beware of Owens in the paint. On defense, he is elite when it comes to protecting the rim. I think Owens matches up with Jon Teske inside to neutralize the center's strengths on the interior.
The second grad transfer, Matt Mooney, is also the third player, joining Culver and Moretti, to average at least thirty minutes per game. Mooney is a 6'3" guard who was a hotly recruited grad transfer out of South Dakota as a scorer and shooter. Mooney's recruitment as a grad transfer has paid dividends as Mooney was named Second Team All-Big 12 as well as All-Defensive Team in what will be his lone season in red. Mooney's average of about 18.7 points per game over his career in South Dakota was not reached this season with TTU, but he's been just as productive overall, just with fewer shots needed out of him. While the point guard of the team, allowing Moretti to operate off ball, he does indeed still get his shots. He averages 9.4 attempts per game, but has hit a career-low of 41.9% overall. This has not reflected a drop in three point percentage, however, as Mooney has shot 38.1% on 105 attempts from deep this season. He averages 1.8 steals and 3.3 assists, highlighting the other aspects of his game that may be important to keep an eye on. Mooney also shoots 47.2% from three in his last ten games, meaning he is going to be heavily watched as he has begun to heat up over the latter portion of the season. Mooney and Moretti give TTU two opportunities to spread the floor and especially with Culver's high-usage rate, this becomes especially dangerous. I'm looking for Zavier Simpson to guard him on the ball and look to make things difficult on him when he wishes to give the ball up.
The final member of the Texas Tech starting five is Norense Odiase. The 6'8" center is a redshirt senior, having earned a medical redshirt to sit out his true junior year with a foot injury and only playing in a small handful of games. Odiase's impact is generally felt off the boxscore and more in the actual game flow. Averaging 4.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game is not eye-popping, but Odiase is heavier than his front-court mate by over fifty pounds and is sturdy inside. He plays great interior defense and while he does not have the length of Owens, Odiase is still a long individual that can disrupt shooters in the paint. His game against Buffalo made him stand out far above the rest of the Red Raiders where, despite a brilliant team effort, Odiase logged fourteen points on just four shots, making all four, and snared fifteen rebounds in only 25 minutes. Odiase lives in the paint and is shooting 58.2% (53-for-91) entirely from two. The question here becomes who Odiase guards, and I think it'll be Ignas Brazdeikis. Odiase may struggle if Brazdeikis decides to shoot a substantial amount of threes, but his strength combined with adequate foot speed, plus the dreaded help from the TTU defense, could be enough to neutralize the drives to the rim Brazdeikis favors so much. Look for the pick-and-pop with Simpson and Brazdeikis to be out in full effect for Michigan to try and get something going either from the perimeter or inside on a mismatch.
Bench Rundown:
The first man off the bench has generally been Brandone Francis. Francis is a 6'5" redshirt senior that hails from Puerto Rico and started his collegiate career at Florida. Francis transferred from the Gators after averaging two points in 29 games as a freshman. Francis serves as a key sixth man, playing more minutes per game than any other bench player as well as Odiase. He is averaging 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting almost 34% from three. Francis had a stretch during the regular season of eight games with at least one made three, and in that stretch he was shooting 48.3% from long range. Since that streak ended, he has been just 28.6% from beyond the arc, this being over the last seven games. That said, his two point percentage has been strong at 56.3% during that stretch, meaning his points per game average actually increased over the seasonal average up to 6.7. Even odder, this season has seen Francis shoot just 38.5% from two, meaning that the guard was under 35% during the season prior to the last seven games. He has a nice stroke, and the way he plays forces teams into defensive curveballs to plan for him, but he needs to return to earlier-season form from long range.
The lone freshman of the Red Raiders' rotation has been Kyler Edwards this season. From Arlington, but prepping at Findlay in Nevada, the guard stands 6'3" and has played in every single game this season. Edwards averages 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in eighteen minutes even per game. He is well-versed in shooting from both two and three, where he is shooting 41.7% from three (25-for-60) and 38.1% (37-for-97) from two. Early in the season, Edwards played some big games, including scoring nineteen points on a perfect seven-for-seven shooting night (four-for-four from three) against Northern Colorado. Lately, however, he has seen his minutes, and shot attempts, take a decline as the season picks up heat. Over the last five games he has averaged just barely over ten minutes per game and taken a total of eight shots, three from three. A lot of this season has been managing and building confidence for the freshman. He will almost certainly be the second-highest minute-getter that will return to Texas Tech next season. A bigger role will be asked, and needed, out of him next season.
Rounding out the rotation is redshirt sophomore Deshawn Corprew. Listed as a forward but standing just 6'5", Corprew offers Chris Beard an option to go small with his line-up while keeping up the physicality. Corprew was 2018's top JuCo commit according to 24/7Sports (as former TTU recruit Jordan Brangers did not join a school and went pro) and his signing has paid off. Corprew averages 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds on incredibly hot 57.4% shooting overall. Corprew is 41.7% from three (20-for-47) but also an incredible 66.7% from two. His PORPAGATU! is highest of any TTU bench players (1.7) and his O-Rating is third on the team at 117.5, while his EFG% leads the team at 65.1%. Corprew has played 34.4% of all minutes this season, so he is not a constant in the line-up, but he is able to come in and provide both offense and toughness on the court. Able to play the two, three, or a smaller four, Corprew is a Swiss army knife off the bench for Beard that can spell one of several key players off the bench.
Final Thoughts:
Looking at what Michigan can do, much of what Texas Tech struggles in can be exploited by the Wolverines this game. The first thing is to avoid turning the ball over. If Michigan can play in control and avoid the havoc that TTU can wreck against teams, they have a good chance of winning. The second thing is the ability to drive and kick. What makes Texas Tech so tough defensively is their ability to pack the middle. Zavier Simpson is going to need to be willing to take on Tariq Owens or Norense Odiase if they switch on him. He, of course, has his hook shot, but more important is going to be the ability to kick to the open corner shooter when the help comes over off the wing. That is why I think Isaiah Livers will play plenty in this game. His lights-out shooting while spotting up should be able to help Michigan when they get stuck in the paint. They have been hurt from three before: Oklahoma State drilled seventeen, thanks largely to several late-game threes from Lindy Waters, Kansas hit thirteen, Baylor hit eleven, even Buffalo hit nine against them. The three point defensive percentage stat can sometimes be lucky, many will acknowledge this. Sometimes open shooters just miss their shot. If Michigan can hit the open ones they get, they may be fine. Even better for Michigan would be to take a page out of Michigan State's playbook and penetrate slightly, only to fire a cross-court pass over to an open shooter in the opposite corner as the Spartans did so well with Cassius Winston and Matt McQuaid. Finally for the Wolverines, pace will be key. Buffalo struggled against Texas Tech because they enjoy faster-paced games. Michigan, on the other hand, does not even hit 65 possessions per game, on average. They sit 8.7 possessions on average fewer than Buffalo does when it comes to the adjusted-tempo stat on KenPom. Texas Tech cannot simply force Michigan to play a half court game like they did with Buffalo, instead they will need to make that adjustment themselves and be able to stop Michigan in their half court sets. Texas Tech's KenPom metrics are remarkably similar to those of Michigan's last season (both teams were 35th in offense, Michigan was third in defense while Texas Tech is first). It will be Michigan against an ever-so-slightly lesser version of them, according to metrics. They will hope to avoid the trap and continue dancing.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
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