Odd stats in early Big Ten play

Through three Big Ten games, Michigan is ranked 10th in the Big Ten in offensive turnover rate and 2nd in the league in defensive rebounding rate.

Probably not what anyone would have guessed.

Another crazy stat: Michigan’s 1.04 PPP against Purdue was the second best offensive performance against the Boilers.

That says a lot about how much U-M needs/expects from its offense, how bad its defense was on Thurs., and how good Purdue’s defense is.

… Which speaks to the importance of balance. It’s fine to be a perimeter-centric shooting team, but without some better defenders inside to get stops, even a “good” offensive night won’t be nearly enough.

Duncan can hit every three, MAAR can finish everything at the rim, but a few broken plays/turnovers/ill-advised Wilson threes/off-balance Irvin twos/Dakich drives and you’re done. On the other hand, if you have one solid big who can handle their center without doubling, you can afford to make an offensive mistake or two.

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