Michigan Basketball: 3 keys to non-con matchup with St. John’s Red Storm

The offseason for Michigan Basketball was one that arguably had more downs than ups. The top three scorers left, including star big man, Hunter Dickinson. There also were reported “misses” in the transfer portal as well, which left a roster that had some questions.

So far, those “questions” are starting to be answered. The Wolverines opened the season with UNC Asheville, a preseason favorite in the Big South, and having one of the best mid-major players nationally in Drew Pember. It didn’t matter, as Michigan easily took care of them, 99-74.

Youngstown State was up next a couple of days ago, a team that had won the Horizon League regular season title last season. The Penguins ended up being no match for the Big Ten program, falling 92-62. There’s no question that Michigan has been one of the more impressive teams in the conference, but the competition gets much harder this week.

St. John’s has been a program that has struggled for a while but made a big splash this offseason with the hire of head coach Rick Pitino. He won a national title at Louisville before and is a certain hall of famer in the sport. His name and cache allowed the Red Storm to upgrade its roster via the transfer portal, adding a number of key players.

So far, St. John’s did lose an exhibition game (was without multiple projected starters) but is 1-0 in official games, beating Stony Brook, 90-74. This matchup with Michigan is key for the Red Storm as well in their own first big matchup of the Pitino era.

Focusing on the Wolverines side of things, here’s a look at three keys to victory.