Michigan Basketball: 3 Keys to Wolverines beating Northwestern

Play through Hunter Dickinson

Hunter Dickinson is off to a historic start for Michigan basketball. He has been one of the best freshman in the county so far and has probably been Michigan’s best player.

How good has the freshman been? Here’s a few fun stats for you. Dickinson is shooting 41-46 at the rim this season. He is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game which is the highest of any Michigan player in two decades. He also ranks 10th in the Kenpom national player of the year rankings so far this season.

Northwestern isn’t a small team, but Michigan should still have the advantage down low with Dickinson. The Wildcats play two centers with their minutes split pretty evenly. Whether it’s Pete Nance or Ryan Young playing center for Northwestern, Michigan will have the size advantage down low.

This offense is better when Dickinson touches the ball and the offense runs through him. Even when he doesn’t bury his man and score in the paint, Dickinson always find the open man and makes the right pass.

Even though Dickinson does have a high usage percentage this season, I think Michigan can still do a better job of getting him even more shots. He is shooting 73 percent from the field this season and never looks rattled. It appears he can handle an even bigger work load.

The Wildcats rank 67th in the country in two-point defense which is above average, but Michigan ranks 4th in the country in two-point offense. This has been Michigan’s strength and it will have to continue that strategy against this Northwestern squad.