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thewolverines24
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12 PM Eastern on BTN.
MATCHUPS
Buie ? McDaniel
Audige ? Bufkin
Roper ? Howard
Beran ? Williams
Nicholson ? Dickinson
The lineup sheets overlay pretty neatly in this one, and nothing jumps out as an obvious mismatch based on style of play. I imagine that Northwestern will try to put its best defender (Audige) on Jett Howard as often as possible, but Howard guarding Roper works out nicely as the lowest usage option on the roster.
KEYS
Ball screen defense: Northwestern runs a ton of ball screens, and Michigan?s ball screen defense is vulnerable at best. There have been some subtle signs that the Wolverines might be improving their ball screen defense in recent games, but this will be a big test against an offense that isn?t the most efficient but creates dangerous situations.
Win the paint: Northwestern has a tremendous interior defense, but Michigan has Hunter Dickinson. When Hunter Dickinson scores inside efficiently, Michigan is an incredibly difficult team to beat. Northwestern did a great job of limiting Dickinson?s touches in the matchup last year and establishing the big man early and often should be a goal for the Wolverines.
Off-ball shooting: Jett Howard, Hunter Dickinson and Kobe Bufkin have all proven that they can create offense with the ball but Michigan?s offense seems to ebb and flow based on how everyone other than Howard and Dickinson performs when they get open looks off the ball. Howard and Dickinson will create catch-and-shoot looks for their teammates, but how do Bufkin, Williams, Baker and McDaniel shoot when those chances come? That off-ball shooting will be crucial against a Northwestern defense that tends to overplay.
BOTTOM LINE
This is the best Northwestern team that we?ve seen in a while, and it is a team that has a legitimate bubble chance if things continue to break their way. It also is a group that has proven it can win on the road at hostile venues. But this is a game that Michigan needs to handle if it wants to keep its season moving forward.
KenPom pegs the Wolverines as 69-66 favorites with a 62% chance of picking up the home victory. How the Wolverines react from Thursday?s disappointment should tell us a lot about this group.
GO BLUE!
MATCHUPS
Buie ? McDaniel
Audige ? Bufkin
Roper ? Howard
Beran ? Williams
Nicholson ? Dickinson
The lineup sheets overlay pretty neatly in this one, and nothing jumps out as an obvious mismatch based on style of play. I imagine that Northwestern will try to put its best defender (Audige) on Jett Howard as often as possible, but Howard guarding Roper works out nicely as the lowest usage option on the roster.
KEYS
Ball screen defense: Northwestern runs a ton of ball screens, and Michigan?s ball screen defense is vulnerable at best. There have been some subtle signs that the Wolverines might be improving their ball screen defense in recent games, but this will be a big test against an offense that isn?t the most efficient but creates dangerous situations.
Win the paint: Northwestern has a tremendous interior defense, but Michigan has Hunter Dickinson. When Hunter Dickinson scores inside efficiently, Michigan is an incredibly difficult team to beat. Northwestern did a great job of limiting Dickinson?s touches in the matchup last year and establishing the big man early and often should be a goal for the Wolverines.
Off-ball shooting: Jett Howard, Hunter Dickinson and Kobe Bufkin have all proven that they can create offense with the ball but Michigan?s offense seems to ebb and flow based on how everyone other than Howard and Dickinson performs when they get open looks off the ball. Howard and Dickinson will create catch-and-shoot looks for their teammates, but how do Bufkin, Williams, Baker and McDaniel shoot when those chances come? That off-ball shooting will be crucial against a Northwestern defense that tends to overplay.
BOTTOM LINE
This is the best Northwestern team that we?ve seen in a while, and it is a team that has a legitimate bubble chance if things continue to break their way. It also is a group that has proven it can win on the road at hostile venues. But this is a game that Michigan needs to handle if it wants to keep its season moving forward.
KenPom pegs the Wolverines as 69-66 favorites with a 62% chance of picking up the home victory. How the Wolverines react from Thursday?s disappointment should tell us a lot about this group.
GO BLUE!
