Michigan Basketball: 3 keys for the Wolverines against Northwestern

Move the ball on offense

Michigan seemingly did whatever they wanted to Purdue on Saturday offensively in the first half. They were hitting shots and getting to the rim. But the reason they were so good at that is that they moved the ball really well and found open guys. Beilein’s offense is built around movement. Whether it be pick and roll or back cuts. Either way, the offense runs smoothly when the ball is moving.

In the second half, the Wolverines went through some stretches where they did not score and a lot of it could be traced back to players going one-on-one with their defender or settling for contested shots. It was almost like they got a big lead and relaxed. When the ball does not move much in their offense then Michigan struggles to score.

Northwestern will play good defense and Michigan will need to move the ball if they want to score. They can find openings against most teams in the country but they need to make sure they are running the offense the way Beilein has it drawn up. If they do that, they should be able to continue the success they had in the first half against Purdue.