Michigan basketball: 3 Keys to a victory over Colorado State

Feed Hunter Dickinson

This has to be the most obvious key, but Michigan has to feed Hunter Dickinson in the post. I don’t know what Colorado State’s game plan will be in terms of defending Dickinson, but most likely, they will double-team him, forcing him to pass the ball.

If I was Colorado State, I would bet on Michigan being able to hit their open shots, as they have been so hot and cold this year. You have to try to wall off Dickinson from the basket. Otherwise, it’s basically a free two points every time down the court.

That doesn’t matter though. Colorado State does not have a player that can guard Hunter. He is the tallest and best player on the floor, and Michigan’s offense runs through him, so they need to find creative ways to get him the basketball.

One strategy is to have Hunter involved more in the pick and roll so that he can just receive the pass from Devante and go right to the cup. On pick and rolls, unless the defense is playing drop coverage (which I don’t foresee Colorado State doing that often) then Dickinson should be wide open almost every time off of the screen.

Another strategy is to have play Dickinson as the trailing big man. This is effective as it allows Dickinson to find a spot (usually at the top of the key) and knock down a quick 2.

Obviously, the further away Dickinson is from the basket, the less percentage the shot is, but the key is to have Dickinson going downhill and for him to be in the process of moving towards the basket.

That way, it allows Dickinson to get as close to the basket as possible, and once he receives the pass from DeVante or whoever, he can just establish himself and take a close-range jump shot or a layup/hook.

The most likely scenario is Colorado State will try to run Dickinson off the block, so Michigan has to find creative ways to get Dickinson the ball. They can’t go 10 minutes (referring to Indiana) without looking for their best player. When all else fails, go to your star. It’s that simple.

But wait, there’s more…

Just because Michigan needs to feed Hunter doesn’t mean that he needs to shoot the ball every single time.  Michigan’s offense can be so dangerous because of Hunter’s passing abilities as well. He is really good at finding the open man off of a double or triple team, and this is also something Michigan should utilize.

Obviously, you have to be able to hit open shots if you are Michigan to make this strategy effective, but it’s just something else for Colorado State to think about. Dickinson is not just a good post player, he is a very good passer as well, so even if he is stonewalled in the post, he has court vision to thread the needle.

Bonus key

Lastly, this is just an observation, but the last time Michigan played a team so similar to Colorado State in terms of size, they struggled quite a bit to guard those players. The game against Tarleton State in December at home comes to mind.

No, Tarleton State is not a good team at all, and frankly, if Michigan could do it over again, they would probably destroy TSU (probably), but the quickness of Tarleton State’s guards and even their center gave Michigan fits pretty much all game.

Also, their athleticism stuck out as well. They were able to contest a surprising amount of Michigan’s shots.

The last key for Michigan against Colorado State is to adjust quickly to Colorado State’s quickness and athleticism.

The Wolverines can’t get caught sleeping on defense, and they have to know that a smaller team means more athleticism and quicker feet, so adjust accordingly (on offense and defense).