Busting Brackets
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Michigan Basketball: 3 keys for the Wolverines against South Carolina

By Adam Childs

ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 1: Jordan Poole #2 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots a three point shot during the second half of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Crisler Center on December 1, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Purdue 76-57. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 1: Jordan Poole #2 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots a three point shot during the second half of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Crisler Center on December 1, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Purdue 76-57. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MI – DECEMBER 1: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers drives the ball to the basket as Jordan Poole #2 of the Michigan Wolverines defends during the first half of the game at Crisler Center on December 1, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Purdue 76-57. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – DECEMBER 1: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers drives the ball to the basket as Jordan Poole #2 of the Michigan Wolverines defends during the first half of the game at Crisler Center on December 1, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Purdue 76-57. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

2. Stop AJ Lawson

The last two games the Wolverines have been tasked with slowing down Carsen Edwards and Vic Law. Those two guys were the main threat for Purdue and Northwestern respectively. While Michigan did not stop them completely they frustrated them enough to throw them off their game enough to help them win.

AJ Lawson is South Carolina’s go-to guy. Only a freshman he is averaging 14.9 points per game. He scored 23 points against Stony Brook and 25 against Coastal Carolina, so he has shown he can explode for a lot of points. But he also can be stopped as he scored no points against Wofford in their loss. He is shooting under 30% from deep this year, but he has still found ways to score.

Michigan can slow him down and if they do then the Gamecocks will have trouble scoring. As a team, they are only averaging 74 points per game, which is not exactly lighting the world on fire. The Wolverines have been great at contesting all shots and South Carolina has struggled to score at times. So if Michigan stops their main scoring in Lawson, the Gamecocks could have their lowest output of the year.

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