Michigan Basketball: How to watch, stream, plus predictions vs Oregon

Michigan basketball takes on Oregon Saturday in the Big House and here is all the info you need to watch and stream, plus a prediction.

Following a disappointing loss Wednesday night at Illinois, the Michigan basketball team will return home for a showdown with 10th-ranked Oregon.

This will be the fourth top-10 opponent that Michigan basketball has faced already this season and so far, the Wolverines are 2-1. The wins were over North Carolina and Gonzaga, while the loss came to Louisville.

The common denominator in the two losses was that the Wolverine shot the ball poorly on the road. Against, Illinois, Michigan was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc, which is well below the nearly 40 percent shooting percentage U-M had before.

If the Wolverines want to avoid a drop in the polls and maybe out of the top 10, they need to rebound and find a way to beat Oregon, as well as preventing back-to-back losses.

Losing consecutive games isn’t something that happened often under John Beilein over the past few years and it would be nice for U-M to keep that going. Of course, beating the Ducks will be far from easy, but after that, the Wolverines have a few cupcakes before the start of Big Ten play again.

To call the recent stretch of games grueling is an understatement. Already this season, Michigan has faced North Carolina, Louisville, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Iowa, Illinois, Creighton and now the Ducks. That’s eight teams in Kenpom’s top 57. That’s insane.

But, Michigan is 5-2 against those teams so far and undefeated at home or on a neutral floor. That bodes well for Saturday but before we break it down and offer a prediction, here’s the key info such as how to watch and stream:

Game Info:

Game 11: Michigan vs Oregon

Where: Crisler Center

When: 12:00 PM EST

TV: CBS

Stream: CBS All-Access or Fubo TV

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

Breakdown and prediction

While shooting the ball better is going to be a huge key for this Michigan basketball team, trying to contain Payton Pritchard will also be essential. The matchup between Zavier Simpson and Pritchard pits two of the best point guards in college basketball against each other.

Simpson may not be able to score like Pritchard, but if he can control the game and keep him in check, it will go a long way for the Wolverines. Keeping Pritchard out of the paint will be essential and when he is able to, guys like Jon Teske need to help disrupt his shots.

Oregon is a very creative offensive team and they can shoot the ball well from the perimeter. Pritchard and Anthony Mathis both average more than two 3-point field goals per game and as a team, the Ducks are shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.

One key difference between the two teams though could be size. Oregon doesn’t have in the regular rotation that is taller than 6-foot-8 and no one that can match up with Teske.

Michigan needs to take advantage of that. Teske isn’t the best down low, but his post game has improved and he’s a very skilled passer so even some collapsing double teams could lead to some open looks for U-M.

The key is making them. Even in losses, Michigan has gotten good looks, it just didn’t make enough and hopefully, that’s not the case again Saturday. At home though, the irons should be a little more kind to the Wolverines.

Prediction: Michigan 79, Oregon 74