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Keys to Victory, Michigan at UCF

The most important aspects of today’s Michigan at UCF game to watch for.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Dec 30, 2021 10:11 AM EST

ORLANDO - UCF Men’s Basketball has a great opportunity today. It’s not very often that a program like Michigan will come down to Orlando and play in the Addition Financial Arena.

The Knights come into this game at 8-2 and riding a four game winning streak. Michigan, meanwhile, has a 7-4 record and has been up and down this season. The Wolverines bring plenty of talent down to Florida, so it’s going to be interesting to see what level of play Michigan has tonight.

So what does UCF need to do to win the game at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN2 tonight? Here are five factors to take into account.

Hot Start, Get Out and Run

Anytime a talented ball club comes onto the court, UCF needs to come out swinging on offense and defense. The Michigan game is a great example of this as the Knights need to score in transition to keep Michigan out of its half court sets and ability to use its size.

The Wolverines are a team with a veteran player handling the basketball in DeVante’ Jones, and if UCF has an early game lapse, there will be more opportunities for Jones to feed the post to 7’1” center Hunter Dickinson and spread the basketball around overall for open jumpers the Wolverines perimeter shooters.

This is where UCF’s full court press, helter skelter defense can flip the script. A tomahawk dunk off a steal from CJ Walker is a great way for UCF to get the crowd into the game, by the way.

Playing half court is not best against a team like Michigan, so the Knights need all the deflections, steals and dunks they can get in the first five to 10 minutes of the game to set the tone.

Defense First

Absolutely, unequivocally, no mental lapses on defense. While pressing can work, this is Michigan, a well coached team led by former NBA star Juwan Howard. Missed assignments can lead to Michigan’s own dunks and easy buckets.

Once in the half court, UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins will have decisions to make about whether to double Dickinson. This could be a decision based on score and time in the game, but it’s certainly worth watching.

Dickson leads Michigan in scoring and rebounding at 15.6 and 9.1.

Drive the Basketball

UCF can be a streaky offensive team. When it does its best work on the offensive end of the basketball court, there’s a dribble drive and kick for a shot. It’s really that simple.

Passing the ball and reversing it back for a shot is also a key, and it’s something that Coach Dawkins preaches. Still, the Knights need to push the basketball into the lane via the dribble more often than they would against a sub par opponent.

Michigan’s help and recovery speed is going to be much better than it was for some of the other teams UCF has played this season, so a more diverse offensive attack will be necessary.

Second Half Start

This is a repeat of the opening tip. Must start fast! Get the crowd back into the game and play at a high level. The first four minutes of the game and first four minutes of the second half often dictate the winner and loser. This game will not be any different.

It could be a steal and a dunk that gets UCF going, or perhaps it’s a block shot by Cheikhe Mbacke Diong that leads to a run-out three point basket by Darin Green, Jr.

Green Must Make ‘The Shot’

Speaking of Green, there will be moments in the game where the Knights need a bucket. However it goes through the net, Green needs to make momentum-changing shots.

This is a game that Green can help define UCF’s NCAA Tournament resume, and making a couple of clutch shots when everyone in the gym knows he’s the likely shooter could be the difference in determining whether the Knights come out victorious over Michigan.

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