Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned in blowout of Wisconsin
Michigan basketball didn’t just beat Wisconsin on Tuesday, the Wolverines destroyed them and here are three things we learned.
There is something special about this Michigan basketball team and if we weren’t sure of it before Tuesday night’s win, we should be now.
The way that Michigan basketball dismantled Wisconsin, a very good Wisconsin team I might add, was simply unheard of. I mean a 43-6 run against the No. 9 team in the country?
As Dick Vitale might say, “Are you serious?”
Michigan’s 43-6 run against top 10 Wisconsin was the most dominant stretch of basketball all year - NBA or College!
— Tim McCormick (@TimMcCormick40) January 13, 2021
16 baskets - 7 layups, 4 dunks & 4 uncontested 3’s, only 1 midrange J.
Seven scored, near perfection on defense.
I am in awe of what I watched last night!!!
The Wolverines are serious about winning a championship this season and they took a step towards winning the Big Ten by beating the Badgers, who now trail U-M by two games in the loss column.
Iowa still has just one loss and Luka Garza is likely going to be Big Ten Player of the Year. But Michigan has to be the favorite now after beating three ranked teams in a row — all by 19 points or more, which is something no program has ever done before.
Truth be told, the 77-54 final score made it feel a lot closer than it really was. This game was over with 15 minutes left and as far as what it means going forward, here’s what we learned:
Dickinson doesn’t have to be a superstar
Hunter Dickinson didn’t have a bad game by any means against Wisconsin, but he didn’t score his first bucket until about 15 minutes in and the Wolverines were still able to control the game throughout.
Wisconsin was down by one point in the last few minutes of the first half before Michigan went on a 14-0 run. In the second half, Dickinson got things going and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes.
It was a really good showing for a freshman, but for Dickinson, it felt like a ho-hum performance, as incredible as that is.
Yet, even when Dickinson isn’t scoring, his ability to score inside is such a threat, it opens the entire offense for an array of shooters and scorers no team has been able to stop.
His defense is also getting better by the game and is one reason this defense is elite, which leads to my next point, but Tuesday just showed Hunter doesn’t have to be Michigan’s best player for it to win.