Michigan Basketball: 3 Things we learned from domination of Northwestern

Michigan basketball improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten with a dominant win over Northwestern and here are three things we learned.

Sunday’s night game between Michigan basketball and Northwestern was billed as the toughest test of the season for the Wolverines. And they passed with flying colors.

Michigan basketball was so dominant in this one that Juwan Howard was able to clear his bench with the Wolverines up by as much as 28 points in the second half, despite falling behind by eight points early.

The offense was exceptional again scoring 1.19 points per possession, a number that was lowered due to the garbage time. Defensively, the Wolverines were equally as impressive, holding Northwestern to 27 percent from 3-point range and .92 points per possession.

The Wildcats had just one loss in Big Ten play coming in and for the Wolverines, it was the third win in four games over a team ranked in the top 60 of the Kenpom rankings.

Obviously, another test is on the horizon vs Minnesota Wednesday, but beating up 19th-ranked Northwestern for the first win over a ranked opponent sure felt good and here’s what we learned:

Dickinson has almost no weakness

Hunter Dickinson was fabulous again for Michigan basketball Sunday night. But the thing that impressed me is how he’s so wise beyond his years in a basketball sense.

Northwestern used more zone looks to try and keep the ball away from Dickinson and at times it worked. Yet, Dickinson is such a skilled passer that even if he’s not getting shots, he opens things up for others with the attention he draws and his ability to quickly and accurately move the ball is an underrated thing.

The entire team moves the ball well and that played a key role in Michigan making 12-of-27 3-point shots.

But just like the Nebraska game, in the first half, you figured Dickinson would reach double figures but maybe on the lower side of things. Nope.

When Northwestern changed up its tactics, he took over. Dickinson canned a pair of mid-range jumpers and went on a tear as he scored 19 points in 27 minutes. He only grabbed three boards but he didn’t even draw a foul, which is hard to believe for a 7-foot-1 freshman.

Michigan struck gold with this kid and all the little things he does so well make him even more impressive.

And sure, he can be vulnerable covering bigs who can extend the floor, yet even his defense has been a lot better than expected and he has rarely had issues with fouls.