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Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from the win against Villanova

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Charles Matthews #1 of the Michigan Wolverines drives to the basket against Marques Townes #5 of the Loyola Ramblers in the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm - Pool/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Charles Matthews #1 of the Michigan Wolverines drives to the basket against Marques Townes #5 of the Loyola Ramblers in the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm - Pool/Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Ibi Watson
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Ibi Watson /

They can win without the three-pointer

Since Beilein took over at Michigan it has been no secret that the Wolverines have lived and died by the three-point shot. He recruited great shooters and they could shoot you out of the gym. But when they got cold it could get ugly in a hurry.

Well, this year Michigan does not have the same caliber outside shooters that they are so used to having and it was a concern for many that they would struggle to score points without one. In the first two games that looked to be true, but last night against Villanova, they showed that they are capable of getting a lot of points by going to the rim.

Charles Matthews did a great job of exploiting the Wildcats when they switched to a smaller defender on him. Jordan Poole used his dribble to get some points and freshman Ignas Brazdeikis scored 18 points without hitting a single three. Zavier Simpson even took the ball to hole with some success in scoring nine points.

The Wolverines ran their offense very well last night and got to the rim or found open mid-range jumpers. Michigan hit just five threes last night and shot 17 which is a relatively low number for them.

With the way the defense is playing, if they can continue to get easy shots and run their offense as efficiently as they did last night, they will not have to rely on the three as they have in the past. That is good news for the Wolverines and potentially very bad news for their opponents.