Michigan Wolverines Defeated the Northwestern Wildcats by 62-60

The Wolverines forced Northwestern into an off-balance 3-pointer that clanged off the iron, giving Michigan a 62-60 victory, and its first road win against the Wildcats since 2013. After the match Michigan coach John Beilein said that "I knew we were gonna have to go through games like this if we’re gonna be good, And we survived it.

I don't know how. But we made just enough good plays down the stretch.” We all know that Michigan has struggled against Northwestern in some past years. The Wolverines have lost three straight matches at Northwestern and five out of their last seven. Heading into this contest, the Wildcats are 6-2 on the season. In their last game, Northwestern fell 68-66 at Indiana. The Wildcats have also lost to Fresno State 78-59 on a neutral court. That Northwestern player’s defense has struggled so far this season. The Wildcats have an adjusted efficiency of 107.5, which is 91st in the nation and their effective field goal percentage of 50.1 is the 194th in the nation. Northwestern doesn’t shoot well from their as its three-point percentage of 32.6 percent is 207th in the country. The category where Northwestern is the best is sharing the ball. The Wildcats assist on nearly 60 percent of their made field goals, which is 37th in college basketball. Northwestern team defense offered Michigan a stiff test as its adjusted defensive efficiency is 94.3, which is 29th in the nation. The Wolverines have one of the best turnover percentages in the country, but that will be challenged by the Wildcats defense which has a high turnover percentage. Senior forward Vic Law is off to a strong start in his final season for Northwestern. Over the course of his career, Law has steadily increased his three-point percentage culminating his percentage of 44.7 percent from three so far this season. The hero of the match was once again Ignas Brazdeikis. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week carried the team with 23 points, one short of his career-high. While all of his teammates struggled from the deep length, Ignas had no problem, nailing three of his six attempts. He was the difference maker for the Wolverines. Senior center Derek Pardon is getting to the free throw line at a high rate. Pardon’s free throw rate of 68.2 percent is 57th best in the nation. Pardon averages 13.8 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per contest.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://gbmwolverine.com/2018/12/04/michigan-basketball-3-predictions-wolverines-northwestern/