Michigan Basketball: How to watch, storylines and more for Wisconsin

Michigan basketball travels to Wisconsin Saturday to take on the Badgers. With a win, the Wolverines have a chance at being the nation’s No. 1 team.

The Michigan basketball team hasn’t had an easy schedule by any stretch of the imagination, yet Saturday’s visit the Kohl Center to take on Wisconsin might be the biggest challenge the Wolverines have faced this season.

The Wisconsin game is the start of a brutal stretch for Michigan basketball that includes home games against Minnesota and Ohio State, as well as road games against Indiana and Iowa after Wisconsin.

Those are five very good teams. Minnesota is the lowest ranked in the Kenpom rankings and they are 64th. Wisconsin is ranked 18th, while Michigan basketball comes into the game Saturday as No. 6.

Both teams are fairly balanced as Wisconsin and Michigan both rank in the top 31 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, although the Wolverines rank by far the highest on defense (No. 3). Wisconsin is ranked 14th on defense and 31st offense. Michigan drops down to No. 21 in terms of offensive efficiency.

In other games like this against top-25 teams (Purdue, Villanova, North Carolina and Indiana) Michigan has allowed just 58 points per game. So don’t be surprised if the defense in the driving force again. Yet, Before we break down the matchup further between the Badgers and Wolverines, here is a quick look at the basic info such as how to watch, how to stream and tip-off time.

Game Info:

Game 18: Michigan vs Wisconsin

When: 12:00 PM EST

Where: Kohl Center

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN App

Radio: WWJ (950 AM) in Detroit

Key storylines

There are a number of things to watch in this game but maybe the biggest is the Michigan defense. They say that defense wins championships and great defense certainly helped Michigan win the Big Ten tournament and reach the Final Four last season. Saturday, it will be needed again if Michigan wants to beat Wisconsin.

Michigan Wolverines

The Badgers usually have a similar formula to Michigan: Shoot the ball well from 3-point range, take care of the ball and play solid defense. Accordingly, Wisconsin is 10th in the nation in 3-point percentage. Ethan Happ is responsible for a lot of those good looks. He currently averages 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game.

Happ is a tremendous passer but he also shoots 57 percent from the field. That’s why defenders help with him so much which allows Happ to find open shooters. With Michigan, this should be less of a problem because if anyone can guard Happ one-on-one, it’s the 7-foot-2 Jon Teske.

Happ is 6-foot-10 but he still gives up four inches to Teske, who is one of the best shot blockers and overall defenders in the Big Ten. He takes on guards all the time in pick-and-roll defense and he should be able to handle Happ by himself most of the night. Brandon Johns and Ignas Brazdeikis are two other options.

While many experts are saying this is a 50/50 game with some even favoring Wisconsin, the truth is that the Badgers (11-6, 3-3) have not played that well of late. They have lost four of their last five games, including back-to-back defeats at home. The last two losses were by four points to Purdue and Maryland, but still, Wisconsin isn’t what you would consider hot.

Michigan, on the other hand, has won 17 straight games. The Wolverines are also chasing a Big Ten championship and a win at the Kohl Center would be huge. It could also give Michigan basketball a chance to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since 2012 when Trey Burke was the starting point guard.

Some fans say they would rather Michigan not be ranked No. 1 and while I can get their viewpoint, it’s a nice achievement and if it were to happen, it would be just another feather in the cap of John Beilein.

The important thing though is just winning the game and keeping pace with Michigan State, which is now 7-0 in the Big Ten after winning at Nebraska. That was an impressive road win and if the Wolverines were to beat Wisconsin, it would be equally impressive.