Michigan Basketball: How to watch and stream, predictions vs Gonzaga

Michigan basketball will play Gonzaga for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship this afternoon and here’s how to watch, as well as what to expect.

There were a lot of questions about the Michigan basketball team as the Wolverines made their trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis.

It was fair to ask if Michigan basketball had what it took to beat elite-level teams and despite a sloppy win over Iowa State, a top-50 team in the Kenpom rankings, the Wolverines proved Thursday they can play with just about anybody, beating North Carolina 73-64, in a game that wasn’t even that close.

You wondered how the team would respond to Juwan Howard and his system and so far, the results have been impressive.

Howard clearly knows what he’s doing. His staff is obviously a big part of that, but on both ends of the floor, Michigan has played very well at times. Defensively, the Wolverines forced North Carolina, a team that doesn’t shoot extremely well to shoot a number of long 2-pointers and it was the death of the Tar Heels.

Howard gambled that they wouldn’t make those open mid-range jumpers and he was right. The development of guys like Jon Teske, Colin Castleton, Brandon Johns, Eli Brooks and David DeJulius has also been spectacular.

Brooks was magnificent against the Tar Heels, connecting on four 3-pointers and scoring 24 points. DeJulius also scored in double figures for the second straight game and with Simpson out due to foul trouble, he helped ice the win.

The team has adapted really well to Howard and the staff and after two really, good wins, it looks like this team is better than we thought. We will find out more Friday in a showdown with No. 8 Gonzaga. So here’s how to watch and key info, followed by our breakdown and prediction.

Game Info:

Game 7: Michigan vs Gonzaga

When: 2:00 PM EST

Where: Bahamas Battle 4 Atlantis (Imperial Ballroom)

TV: ESPN

Stream: Watch ESPN/ESPN Plus

Radio: WTKA-AM 1050 (Ann Arbor); WWJ-AM 950 (Detroit), mgoblue.com 

Breakdown/Prediction

Before this tournament started, it might have seemed unlikely for Michigan basketball to beat top-10 teams in back-to-back days, but after watching the Wolverines for two days, it certainly seems possible.

Franz Wagner has struggled a bit during his two games, but if he can get going Friday, along with Isaiah Livers, who hasn’t really played great offensively, that could be a huge help.

Gonzaga is one of the biggest teams in the country, with a slew of 6-foot-10 guys. Of course, UM has Johns and Castleton and generally has decent height, so it shouldn’t be a huge issue, but scoring inside may be tougher than it has been.

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Right now, the Wolverines have been one of the best shooting teams in the country. They are 4th overall, sixth on two points and 18th in the nation when it comes to 3-point shooting at 40 percent.

So the shooting has carried over from the John Beilein era. However, taking care of the ball has not. Michigan did a better job against North Carolina but that’s something to watch as Gonzaga has done a great job scoring while protecting the ball and a big margin there could be the difference.

Yet, Gonzaga did play an overtime game against Oregon to reach the final and only played seven players during that process. Filip Petrusev is the Bulldogs leading scorer. Corey Kispert is another name to watch along with Killian Tillie.

It will be the first meeting between Michigan and Gonzaga and it has the feel of a tight game. Obviously, Mark Few is one of the best in the business and his team is very talented.

It will be a tough test but with the way the Wolverines are rolling, don’t be surprised if they shock the world with another upset win, especially if they can stay hot from deep.

Final score prediction: Michigan 78, Gonzaga 76