3 Things we learned about Michigan Basketball in scare against Oakland

Hunter Dickinson needs to be inserted in the starting five

If it wasn’t for the spark that the 7-foot-1 center provided in the second half, Michigan basketball likely would have gone down to Oakland.

But when the outside shots started clanking Sunday, Michigan went to a lineup that featured Dickinson and fellow freshman Terrance Williams and it worked. The former shoe-circuit teammates worked the high-low game perfectly and frankly, Hunter just took over.

After he played a little in the first half, he was a force throughout the second half and overtime, connecting on 7-of-9 shots from the field for 19 points. He also dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes.

Stamina was one question about Dickinson and since there wasn’t a normal camp and offseason, you wondered how many minutes the big man could play effectively. Last night, he played 25 and only picked up two fouls.

The Wolverines tried to hide him defensively with some zone looks but it’s not like they don’t have the same concerns about Austin Davis and in fact, Dickinson is much more athletic.

Davis is a fine player and he should continue to have a role of 10-12 minutes in the rotation. He can score down low and he provides some energy. But I think he would be best coming off the bench as he did last season.

It’s clear that Dickinson is already becoming one of Michigan basketball’s best players and he needs more minutes.

The Wolverines should start running more of their offense through him because he truly is an elite low-post scorer, something Michigan hasn’t had in a long time.