Michigan Basketball: 3 keys for the Wolverines to beat Illinois

3. Keep Wagner rolling

For the Indiana game, the third key was to keep Franz Wagner rolling and this is a key again for this game. Wagner has played his two best games of the year back-to-back and they need to keep riding this wave.

Wagner was nearly unstoppable against Indiana, just as he was against Iowa. He has scored over 20 points in both of the last two games and is a complete matchup nightmare for pretty much every team in the country.

Combine that with outstanding defense and he is an absolute force for the Wolverines. If he can keep up the high-level of play then the Wolverines are going to be in great shape.

We already talked about attacking Cockburn inside and they should absolutely do that, but they also need to make sure Wagner gets going. He is a threat from the outside but he is beginning to really find his place slashing to the rim and getting to the free-throw line.

Wagner was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line against Indiana with most of them coming in the first half when he just overpowered his defender. His length along with his ability to put the ball on the court makes him a tough matchup.

The Wolverines don’t have to have him play well to win, but when he plays well they are almost unstoppable. A big game from him again on Tuesday and the Wolverines will clinch the Big Ten championship.