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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have always had good offenses under head coach Mike Brey, similar to the Michigan Wolverines under John Beilein. This season has been no different, so don’t expect a defensive struggle in their second-round matchup.
According to kenpom.com, Notre Dame (21-11) is 10th in the country in adjusted offense. Their attack is led by junior point guard Demetrius Jackson, who leads the Irish in scoring (15.5) and assists (4.8). Jackson is a future NBA first-round pick and was named to the coaches’ All-ACC second team. Jackson is backed up by 6-foot-10 senior forward Zach Auguste, team leader in rebounding (10.8) and All-ACC third team.
Unlike Notre Dame, Michigan (23-12) had to sweat it out on Selection Sunday in anticipation. They lost top scorer Caris Lavert for the season on March 1 due to lingering foot issues that he dealt without throughout 2015-16. The Wolverines were excellent with their star shooting guard in the lineup (11-3), but without him they are just 12-9.
Lavert wasn’t just their top scorer (16.5), but their leader in assists (5.3) and their second leading rebounder (4.9). Lavert was one of the best pure shooters in the country with a slash line of .506/.446/.794. He did everything that a guard could do for a team, so without their senior leader Michigan took a huge hit.
Despite their loss, Michigan is no slouch on the offensive end, ranking 35th in adjusted offense. What could be the difference is who is able to get a stop when it matters most, because neither squad is impressive on that end.
The Wolverines (105th in adjusted defense) are the lesser of the two evils, as the Irish (172nd) have been able to get by solely on their offense for a majority of the season. This one will be high-scoring, but close.
Prediction: Notre Dame 83, Michigan 77
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