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3 keys and a prediction for Michigan Basketball vs Indiana

By Chris Peterson

Michigan center Hunter Dickinson (1) attempts a free throw against Ohio State during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.
Michigan center Hunter Dickinson (1) attempts a free throw against Ohio State during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. /
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Michigan basketball has been gaining momentum and could take a huge step toward the NCAA tournament with a win over Indiana. 

Some sort of flipped switched when Michigan basketball got blown out by Penn State. Maybe, it was the breaking point that the Wolverines needed to finally dig down deep.

I’m not sure exactly but Michigan basketball has won three straight games. it started with a big road win at Northwestern and it was followed up by fairly convincing wins over Ohio State and Nebraska.

To be fair, Nebraska and Ohio State are among the worst teams in the Big Ten. But Michigan beat those teams the way you’d expect an NCAA tournament team to beat them.

However, much really depends on Saturday’s game against Indiana. It feels like the tipping point. If the Wolverines win this one, they will be in second place in the Big Ten and if Michigan is able to secure a top-4 spot in the final regular season standings, it’s going dancing.

Here are three keys for Michigan basketball, as well as a prediction against the Hoosiers.

Win the big matchup

When it comes to bigs, two of the best in college basketball will be meeting up as Hunter Dickinson and Trayce Jackson-Davis will square off. Jackson-Davis has been incredible again and is averaging 19.8 points per game and shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

His ability to rebound stands out too, with 11.3 boards per game including over three on the offensive glass. The 6-foot-9 forward also averages three blocks per game.

For the most part, Indiana plays a lot of man-to-man defense and I wouldn’t think they would use many double teams. Jackson-Davis will probably be trusted to guard Dickinson and vice versa.

Juwan Howard has definitely shown an ability to adjust defenses, and it will be interesting to see how he handles Jackson-Davis but the first key to Michigan winning this game, is Hunter Dickinson winning the matchup with Jackson-Davis.

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