In what may be considered one of the best three-game stretches in NCAA basketball history, the No. 3 Michigan men’s basketball team trounced three top-50 [KenPom](https://kenpom.com/index.php) teams by an average of 36 points. Amid the NBA threes, highlight dunks and nine players scoring at least 10 points in one of these games, the offensive side of the Wolverines’ scheme was clearly dominant.
But what tends to get lost in the offensive flurry when Michigan runs away with games is the defense that secures the contest. The paint presence, communicative switching and 3-point contesting that Michigan’s frontcourt has employed thus far has been just as integral to its winningness as its offensive success — and much more sustainable. Although they’ve hit their stride recently, the Wolverines have striven to be a defensive powerhouse from the get-go.
“I want us to be one of the best defensive teams in the country, because we’re big and we’re athletic and we have positional versatility,” Michigan coach Dusty May said Sept. 30 at Michigan Media Day.
According to KenPom, they’ve done it. Ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency, the Wolverines have enveloped the suffocating identity that May wished for two months ago.
Seven games into the season, Michigan has had the majority of its defensive success close to the basket. Leading NCAA Division I basketball in opposing team’s two-point percentage at 36.9%, the Wolverines have simply extinguished most plays near the rim.
Spurned mostly by graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. and junior center Aday Mara, Michigan has forced teams to strategize against lineups made of players mostly 6-foot-9 and taller. And with 17 blocks between the three bigs throughout the Player Eras Festival, opposing teams still haven’t figured them out. Even when they found some success like now-No. 11 Gonzaga did with a few floaters near the key, these shots are still, on average, more advantageous for the Wolverines.
Michigan has also done a fair job limiting teams’ trips to the line. Not quite top tier but also not leaving much to be desired, the Wolverines gave up just 39 points from free throws throughout their last three games. Especially when contrasted with Michigan’s fear of its frontcourt fouling out last year, the Wolverines’ bigs have been disciplined enough to not get themselves into any foul trouble against quality opponents.
Even when not on the paint, this frontcourt — especially Lendeborg and Mara — has still been integral in forcing opposing teams to shoot 30.5% from three. For Lendeborg, May celebrated his positionless defense even before the season started, which Lendeborg has backed up by picking up point guards and power forwards alike.
Struggling earlier in the season against shooting bigs, Mara has stepped up his perimeter defense with a combination of quicker closeouts and ‘Kornet contests’ in which he jumps straight up far from the shooter in order to visually cover the rim. Underscored by holding sharpshooting Gonzaga forward Graham Ike to 0-for-4 from 3, Mara has demonstrated his coachability and willingness to be more than just a typical big.
“We talked to our guys yesterday about what changed throughout (the season),” May said Monday. “And one of the things that (junior guard Elliot Cadeau) said was that when we defend and rebound like we are right now, it alleviates any stress or pressure on your shots.”
Blowing out their Player Eras Festival opponents by 110 points is going to guarantee headlines for Michigan. Even more so, viral dunks and flashy passes en route to those margins of victory are going to circulate far more than play-in and play-out shot deterrence. But a deeper dive into the play-by-play reveals that under the hood, the Wolverines are just as, if not more elite as a defensive unit due to their star frontcourt.