AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Michigan’s poise and VCU’s pressure.
Control versus chaos.
This third-round NCAA Tournament South Region matchup will indeed be strength against strength.
“They’re trying to wreak havoc,” Wolverines coach John Beilein said. “We love to be able to get a shot every time up the floor. You can shoot a lower percentage and have a bad night, but if you get a shot every time, it’s really a game of possessions.”
Fourth-seeded Michigan takes on fifth-seeded VCU today in what could be the weekend’s most anticipated game. The Wolverines are the best team in the nation at avoiding turnovers, and nobody forces them as well as the Rams. Throw in Beilein and Shaka Smart, two respected coaches with postseason experience — and Michigan star Trey Burke, whose job is to direct the Wolverines through VCU’s press — and this has all the makings of a classic.
“They always have terrific spacing on the floor, but more so than that, it’s about their personnel,” Smart said. “They’ve got great guards. Trey Burke is a lot of people’s pick for national player of the year. I haven’t seen a guard better than him.”
Michigan (27-7) is playing about 50 miles from its Ann Arbor campus this weekend, but VCU (27-8) sent an emphatic warning to future opponents with an 88-42 victory over Akron in its NCAA Tournament opener.
Troy Daniels had 23 points and Juvonte Reddic scored 21 for VCU in that one. “Havoc” is the word the Rams use to describe their pressure — and it was certainly accurate. Akron turned the ball over 22 times.
The Rams force an average of 19.9 turnovers per game. Michigan only commits 9.2 per game. Burke, along with fellow guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Stauskas, will face a major test — one Big Ten play didn’t really prepare them for.
MIDWEST REGION
Michigan St. vs. Memphis
When point guard Keith Appling plays well, Michigan State usually wins.
The same is true for Joe Jackson and Memphis.
One of the junior point guards and his team will advance to the round of 16 when the third-seeded Spartans (26-8) face the sixth-seeded Tigers (31-4) today in an NCAA Tournament third-round game in the Midwest Region.
“Whenever you got two good quarterbacks, it’s pivotal,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said yesterday. “Ours is playing better and theirs has been playing well and they’re both kind of alike. They’re both jitterbug guards, both the same size. They can really push the ball, use ball screens.”
The leading scorers for both teams are coming off good games.
Appling had 15 points, making three 3-pointers, as Michigan State opened the NCAA Tournament with a 65-54 win over Valparaiso. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Detroit native made a season-high four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in his previous game, extending his streak of success that followed a three-game slump that coincided with a season-high, three-game Spartans’ losing streak.
After starting ahead of Appling on USA Basketball’s under-19 team two years ago, Jackson doesn’t seem worried about how he’ll fare.
“I played against him before and none of the guys on the court are NBA All-Stars,” Jackson said. “He laces his shoes up just like me.”