Michigan Basketball: 3 Predictions for Wolverines against Indiana
Michigan basketball will travel to Indiana on Sunday in a critical game for the Wolverines NCAA tournament hopes. Here are three predictions.
As Michigan basketball aims to win its second game in a row on Sunday, the Wolverines find themselves squarely on the bubble for the NCAA tournament.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi doesn’t even have Michigan basketball listed among the first four out or the next four out in his latest projection. Michigan is one of his final 10 teams to miss the big dance, which means there is still time but the Wolverines need to start sprucing up their resume.
The win over Maryland was a good first step. But it’s not going to move the needle much. Sunday at Indiana though? That kind of win would get Michigan basketball right back into the mix.
It would also improve U-M’s record to 3-3 in the Big Ten with Northwestern coming to Ann Arbor for the next game. Win on Sunday and it feels like it could change the entire outlook of the 2021-22 season, and with that in mind, here are three predictions for Michigan basketball vs Indiana.
Hunter Dickinson is going to have a day
These two teams are very similar. Each has a dominant big guy down low and probably not enough shooting to surround him. Both teams make around six 3-pointers a game but it’s not the strong suit of either squad.
The key matchup is going to be Hunter Dickinson against Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis. Indiana’s big man is scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking 2.8 shots per game.
Jackson-Davis is a big reason that Indiana is 13th according to Kenpom when it comes to adjusted defensive rating. Michigan basketball has an offensive rating of 25th according to Kenpom and the Wolverines have been playing better and better on that end.
What we saw earlier this week against Maryland was the offense running through Dickinson and for Michigan basketball, it’s really been the only effective way to play. It creates open looks for others and if guys are making shots, then eventually, it opens up Hunter for one-on-ones.
Hunter has to be able to win that matchup and on Sunday, that means winning head-to-head against Jackson-Davis. Dickinson was able to do it a year ago and was outstanding, especially on the defensive end.
And after his comments this week about Michigan making a run, I believe he puts his money where his mouth is and outplays Trayce Jackson-Davis in Assembly Hall — again.