Three Storylines To Watch For Michigan Basketball Against Creighton

Michigan is trying to start 2-0 against a quality Creighton team later tonight.

Michigan basketball started out 1-0 after defeating Appalachian State last week, 79-71, but it wasn't pretty. The Wolverines raced out to a 30-point lead but let most of it slip away after a sloppy second half that including an eight-minute scoring drought and 10 turnovers. The Wolverines finished with 17 for the game.

Head coach Juwan Howard said that there was an intense focus on taking care of the ball and fundamentals after the near collapse against the Mountaineers and those practices will certainly be tested against a solid Creighton squad. Here are some things to watch in tonight's game...

1. Jon Teske's size advantage

Creighton has two players on its roster listed at 6-11 but they aren't major contributors. The tallest player in the Bluejay starting five is just 6-7, so Teske is going to have a considerable advantage.

The seven-foot senior raced out to a fast nine-point start against App. State last week because of his size advantage and could do something similar against Creighton tonight. Howard has shown a desire to establish Teske's presence, especially in a favorable matchup so watch for Teske to get it going again.

2. Zavier Simpson bouncing back

The season opener was not Simpson's best effort. The senior leader had six points, six assists and a career-high six turnovers. He did snare eight rebounds, which is a good number for a six-foot guard, but he just wasn't himself. He also committed some ill advised fouls and spent a lot of the night on the bench.

He was laser focused over the last week in order to put a better foot forward and Howard seemed very convinced that Simpson would clean it up against the Bluejays. Simpson is a coach's son, a bulldog and is the senior leader of this tea, so he'll be better.

3. Turnover issues

As previously mentioned, Michigan had 17 turnovers in the game against Appalachian State. That's as many as U-M ever had under John Beilein, which is a bit concerning. Pace of play is up under Howard, and he's fine with quick shots and forcing the issue a bit on offense, so turnovers are going to go up. Setting a program high over the last decade in the first game is obviously not ideal.

I think with a more focused Simpson, an accountability by everyone to take care of the ball and perhaps a slight tweak by Howard in terms of pushing the ball and getting better shots in the half court will result in a cleaner game.

How do you think Michigan looks agains Creighton? What do you see being the biggest improvement from week one to week two? Comment below!!!