Michigan basketball's underrated key to success: One of the better defensive teams in NCAA

Just over a year ago, Michigan basketball learned what Trevion Williams could do.

On Jan. 9, 2020, at Crisler Center, the Purdue center scored a career-high 36 points on 15 of 27 shooting, adding 20 rebounds. Williams' Herculean effort nearly carried the Boilermakers to an upset win on the road — and it was indicative of the Wolverines' season-long defensive issues.

At Mackey Arena on Friday night, the story could not have been any more different.

In a 70-53 win over Purdue, Michigan held Williams to his worst game of the season and the Boilermakers to their lowest scoring output of the season. Williams, Purdue's leading scorer, had just 14 points on just 6 of 19 shooting; his team averaged just 0.79 points per possession.

[ Why Michigan decided to play Purdue despite Stefanovic's positive COVID-19 test ]

Purdue was without second-leading scorer Sasha Stefanovic, a knockdown shooter who tested positive for COVID-19. But the Wolverines' defensive performance was still notable — and the result of a brainstorming process from Juwan Howard that dates back to the early stages of the offseason.

“That’s an area where we’ve had a lot of growth in,” Howard said after Friday's win. “Looking back to last season, our defense didn’t do a good job and that’s one area where I wanted to really improve. When we were quarantined, I really took time to study and see how we can improve our defense. The first day we returned and we were allowed to have more than 12 players in the gym, we started working on defense, Day 1.”

JEFF SEIDEL: How Howard has led unlikely collection into an elite team

In Howard's first season, Michigan fielded a respectable defense, finishing No. 28 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. But the Wolverines were susceptible to giving up career-best performances to opposing big men like Williams: Iowa's Luka Garza averaged 38.5 points in two meetings against Michigan; Minnesota's Daniel Oturu scored a career-high 30 in an eight-point win against the Wolverines.

U-M's defense ended the season by getting bombed by Wisconsin (81 points; 1.23 points per possession), Ohio State (77 points; 1.13 points per possession) and Maryland (83 points; 1.30 points per possession).

It was a notable step back from a defense that had finished No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency during the 2018-19 season and No. 3 in 2017-18.

And at first glance, despite Howard's emphasis on defense during the offseason, it seemed like this season's team was heading in the wrong direction, too. Michigan opened the season by allowing 82 points to Bowling Green, with the Falcons shooting 12 of 29 from 3. The next game, the Wolverines allowed 71 points to Oakland, nearly losing at home in what would've been the biggest upset in over a half-decade.

[ Michigan's game at Penn State rescheduled for Wednesday ]

Since then, U-M's defense has dramatically improved. In the past 12 games, just three opponents — Toledo, Maryland (Dec. 31) and Minnesota (Jan. 16) — have scored over one point per possession. As a result, the Wolverines' defense now ranks No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Michigan's prowess on that end of the court was especially clear against Purdue. The Boilermakers started the game just 2 of 14 from the field as the Wolverines established an early 10-point lead.

“We wanted to make them feel uncomfortable for a whole 94 feet for 40 minutes and that’s what we did,” guard Eli Brooks said. “We forced turnovers, scored off turnovers, that was a big emphasis on the game plan.”

Williams scored just five points on 2 of 7 shooting in the first half. Against freshman center Hunter Dickinson, Williams struggled to get to his spots close to the basket and settled for tough looks throughout the game.

“Young fella man, fresh out of high school, guarding a guy like Trevion who is one of the best bigs in the country and very skillful, I thought Hunter did a pretty good job,” Howard said. “Every shot attempt that Trevion took, he challenged it. Not saying he stopped every one, but he challenged the shots and you look at the box score, Trevion had to work for those six field goals.

“He’s a load in there, but Hunter did a fantastic job of taking on that 1 on 1 challenge.”

Even when Dickinson wasn't guarding Williams, Michigan made things difficult down low. He wasn't able to consistently generate offense when posting up 1-on-1 — several of his baskets came on feeds from teammates off dribble penetration — and the result was a Purdue offense that couldn't rely on someone who uses 35.5% of the team's possessions (most in the nation, according to KenPom.com).

“I think just throwing a body for 40 minutes,” Brooks said. “That’s tough on anybody. We pushed him off his spots and made every shot difficult. Try to contest without fouling. He’s a good player so he’s gonna get to his spots, just make everything contested.”

Purdue shot just 18 of 53 on 2s (34%). Meanwhile, the Wolverines also limited the quality and quantity of Purdue's looks from 3-point range, as the Boilermakers shot just 2 of 12 from there.

Over the past six games, Michigan's opponents have combined to make just 31 of 123 (25.2%) of their 3s. And while the Wolverines have yet to shut down teams that can run the pick-and-pop, Michigan's 3-point defense has grown significantly since the beginning of the season.

“We definitely locked in,” Livers said of Michigan's 3-point defense. “We had built-in habits from the summer anyways so we’re cognizant, we’re aware of who the shooters are on the floor. We’re aware we have to get into our film, we have to get into our film, personnel is really important before our games. We came out, we saw that number waiting for the jump-shot, we closed them.

“We’d rather have them drive or make a play, make a layup, we’re not going to give an open 3 to a shooter because that’s like a layup to him. That was really emphasized by (assistant) coach Saddi (Washington) and coach Howard.”

Opponents are shooting just 40.1% on 2s. They are struggling to generate quality 3-point looks and when they do, they are missing them more often than not. And meanwhile, Michigan seems to have figured out how to defend centers who can play with their back to the basket.

All of that makes for a defense that can win games on its own — just as it did Friday against Purdue.

“We know coming into games, to get us going, it has to be defense, so our focus can’t be on the offensive end,” Livers said. “We know coming in every night that teams are obviously gonna watch film, they’re gonna know we like to pressure them, so gotta be aware of the back-cuts, so it’s really just out there having fun and most importantly staying discipline.”

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's defensive turnaround shows in win over Purdue