One of the most competitive early matchups of the second day of Round of 64 action takes place in Charlotte between Michigan and Tennessee. The game will be telecast on 12:40 PM ET/9:40 AM PT on truTV (click here for the rest of Friday's schedule).
Ken Pomeroy says 50th best offense, 48th best defense, one of the slowest basketball teams in the country. Strong shooting team, particularly from the inside. Takes care of the basketball (few turnovers), strong defensive rebounding, good at keeping other teams off the free throw line and forcing them into tougher shots (particularly outside).
The weaknesses with Michigan: One shot and done; the Wolverines are a poor offensive rebounding team. They also rarely get to the free throw line and have trouble forcing turnovers. Not a terribly great two point shooting defense and can't block shots or get steals (although both stats are a little overrated).
Ken Pomeroy says 71st best offense, 49th best defense, average tempo. Adequate shooting defense, adequate at forcing turnovers and ball handling, adequate defensive rebounding and EXCELLENT offensive rebounding team, good at getting blocks and turnovers.
The weaknesses with Tennessee: Shooting. They're not a very good shooting team. Their three point shooting percentage is one of the worst in the country. They also get a lot of shocks blocked and stolen.
Prediction: Pretty much a tossup. Michigan is a great three point defense (which should totally shut down the outside), but their two point defense leaves something to be desired. I'll lean Wolverines, since they should be able to negate Tennessee's strong effort at hitting the offensive glass with their own defensive board prowess.