Michigan Basketball: 3 Predictions for Wolverines vs Nebraska on Christmas

Michigan basketball will get back on the court after a long delay Friday as the Wolverines will head to Nebraska. Here are three predictions.

There hasn’t been much that’s normal about the Michigan basketball season, but a weird quirk in the schedule is certainly one thing that makes it feel like any other year.

That’s because after not playing since the Big Ten opener against Penn State which was 12 days ago, Michigan basketball will play Nebraska Friday, in the first of a four-game stretch in 12 days.

It would have been nice for the Wolverines to have a game last week. Not only would have that broken up this layoff, it would have also allowed to league to maybe break up this next part of the schedule a little more.

But as a Michigan basketball fan, the good news is that there will be four games to watch in the next two weeks following a 12-day absence.

Nebraska will serve as the first road game for Michigan basketball, which hasn’t played away from home yet. The Huskers are 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten and here are three predictions for the Wolverines and Cornhuskers on Christmas Day.

Expect a ton of 3-point shots

This prediction applies to both teams because there could be a lot of 3-pointers attempted Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. As far Nebraska, that’s just what the Huskers do and six different players have made an average of a 3-pointer per game and five guys average at least 1.4 makes per game.

Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball have tried to limit 3-point attempts and force tough 2’s. It’s not a new strategy but it requires good man-to-man defense and the Wolverines aren’t quite as strong in that area as they used to be.

I think Nebraska will have a decent shooting day and make around 8-9 triples but the percentage isn’t going to be super high. Michigan could also end up attempting a lot of treys.

Michigan has done a good job of working the ball inside and Hunter Dickinson should be the primary focus of the offense against an undersized Nebraska team. Yet, the Huskers will likely double a lot and that should lead to some open perimeter looks.