Seth Davis asked coaches anyonymously what the deficiencies were of their B1G opponents (ignored Nebby and Minny). I don't see anything unreasonable in here.
“You have to have a big man who’s versatile, because
Dain Dainja and
Coleman Hawkins play different ways.
Terrence Shannon Jr. has had some issues with fouls. They used to play a switching defense, and now they’re staying with their own and fighting through everything. That’s a big change to make midseason. Shannon has been hot and cold. He doesn’t shoot it as well at times, so if you can keep him out of the paint it’s better for you.”
Indiana
“Getting Trayce Jackson-Davis in foul trouble is a big key. He won’t beat you from the perimeter, but when he gets that thing in his left hand, he’s impossible to stop.
Jalen Hood-Schifino has had some monumental games, but he is a freshman, and that could be concerning in a one-and-done format.
Race Thompson was a rock for them early on, so getting him back to health is going to be key. Defensively they have some young guys, so if you can get them in rotation, I think they can mess stuff up. It really goes back to their shooting. They don’t have a lot of outside
Miller Kopp, so you can double Trayce when you need to. They may get
Xavier Johnson back, but he’s not a great shooter, either. He’ll take the ball out of Hood-Schifino’s hands.”
Iowa
“If they have an off night from the perimeter, they can lose to anyone. You need to be physical with
Kris Murray. I wouldn’t say he’s soft, but you can’t let him be comfortable.
Filip Rebraca has played well, but Murray is the guy you’re worried about. They play a lot of different defenses, but you can get going on them, especially if you have a big who can score inside. You can’t turn the ball over, or they’re off to the races. It always comes back to, are they gonna guard you? Can they stop who you are?”
Maryland
“They shoot it so much better at home.
Jahmir Young is fantastic, but they depend a lot on him. He does so much of his damage at the rim. A bad night from him is hard to overcome. They are not deep at all. They switch up their defenses. They play a matchup zone, a good, physical man-to-man. You can’t turn it over because they’re so good in transition. I really like
Donta Scott. He’s a little streaky as a shooter but he’s a tough mismatch. You have to put size on him or he’ll punish you in the paint.”
“Man, I don’t know what to think about Michigan. They have good talent, but they’re not all on the same page. They have two dominant scorers in Hunter Dickinson and
Jett Howard, but they don’t play off each other very well. Sometimes Dickinson has really low field-goal attempts, which makes no sense. You can take him out of the game by doubling him because he’s such a willing passer. Losing Jaelin Llewelyn really hurt them. They miss having that older veteran as a point guard. They’re not getting much out of the four spot right now with Terrance Williams II. They throw some fake zone at you to keep you off balance. Jett’s really good offensively, but he’s either not a capable defender or he’s not willing, so you can take advantage of that.”
“They’re just not deep at all, so they have no choice but to stay healthy. They struggled when
Malik Hall was out. I love their guys one through four, but
Mady Sissoko is not the caliber of center Tom Izzo usually has. Their fives get some lobs and offensive rebounds, but they don’t go to those guys much. You want to prevent
A.J. Hoggard from getting downhill and make him make tough shots. He is really streaky, but he’ll make plays late. Those two guards, him and
Tyson Walker, are tough, confident kids, but they’re not going to get easy baskets through post-ups.”
“They have really improved defensively, and they take care of the ball. If you can take away
Boo Buie and
Chase Audige, they don’t have much of a presence in the post. You have to chase everything with Buie and force him into a floater, because when he gets downhill he’s hard to stop. Audige is gonna take a ton of pull-ups. A team that has length on the perimeter can bother them. Those two guards have to be efficient. You’ve gotta give them a steady diet of tough shots. They don’t have enough around them survive a bad night from both of them.
Matthew Nicholson can block some shots, but he’s not gonna beat you scoring.”
“They’ve had a lot of consistency in the program, but now it’s a brand new team, and everything looks different. It’s just hard to win with freshmen.
Brice Sensabaugh is extremely talented offensively, but defensively teams have gone at him and had some success with it. I was expecting more of a step up from
Zed Key. Length will bother him. If you can force him to shoot from the perimeter, that gives you a chance.
Justice Sueing hasn’t played in a long time. He’s better as a fifth starter, but when he’s got to be your second-best player, maybe he’s not equipped to handle it.”
Purdue
“If they lose in the tournament, it will probably be because their guards didn’t shoot it well. They can get a little streaky. There’s two ways you can go about dealing with
Zach Edey. Either you double-team him and hope their shooters miss, or you stay at home and give Edey what he wants. You can’t foul him because he’s really improved as a free-throw shooter, and he’s improved as a passer. They’ve got two freshman guards, so you wonder about their inexperience in the tournament. How are those guys gonna play against guards who are bigger and more athletic? You can press their guards in the backcourt. If you can somehow get Edey away from the rim defensively, that puts them in a bind.
Ethan Morton is the one guy you can help off of, but he’s such a good defender they need him on the court.”
“You have to win a game in the mud. Their defense is phenomenal, but their offense can be hit or miss.
Cam Spencer has been a great pickup for them, but he’s the only guy that really scares you. Defensively they’re great, but a really good offensive team like
Iowa that moves the ball, that’s the way to beat them. You need to pack in a zone. You gotta get Cliff Omoruyi as far away from the basket as you can. He can shoot on the perimeter, but you’d rather give him those. He dunks everything. They’re a poor shooting team so you can guard ’em well enough. That’s going to be their Achilles’ heel in the tournament.”
Wisconsin
“They’re playing the way they always play. They’re going to slow the game down, and at times they’re going to struggle to score. They don’t have a Johnny Davis who can take games over.
Chucky Hepburn can do that at times, but he’s a sophomore. You gotta make it as hard as possible for
Tyler Wahl to get near the basket. He can score it deep, but with
Max Klesmit and
Connor Essegian they can make shots, so it’s hard to help. This is another team that’s not very deep. That was evident when Tyler Wahl was out. Wahl is so right-hand dominant. You have to do everything in your power to force him to his weak hand.”
