Indiana Basketball vs Michigan: Game Info, preview, and prediction

The Indiana basketball program looks to end their five game skid on Friday as they return home to host the No. 5 ranked Michigan Wolverines.

Friday marks the second time Indiana will face Michigan this season, after they lost in Ann Arbor 74-63, when the teams first met on January 6th.

The visiting Michigan Wolverines have been among the nation’s best college basketball teams this season, but they are coming off of two shaky performances against Wisconsin and Minnesota.

After Wisconsin handed Michigan its first loss of the season at the Kohl Center, Michigan needed a last second shot to beat Minnesota in Ann Arbor on Tuesday.

Similar to the first meeting between these teams, expect Michigan to bring a balanced scoring attack.

The Wolverines have six players who average between 7.8 points per game and 14.9 points per game. This could help the Hoosiers defensively, as they won’t have to focus extraordinary attention on any individual player and will be able to run their base pack line defense.

One key to slowing down Michigan’s offensive attack will be Indiana’s ability to pressure the ball and rotate quickly when helping and recovering on ball screens. Whenever Indiana is slow in its defensive rotations, the opponent is typically able to generate open three-point attempts.

Though he is coming off of two poor performances, zero points against Wisconsin and 4-of-18 against Minnesota, one player Indiana could have trouble defending is Ignas Brazdeikis.

Michigan’s leading scorer averaging at 14.9 points per game, Brazdeikis has a knack for successfully driving the lane.

Standing 6-foot-7 and 215 lbs, he can be a difficult cover for teams given his size and skill at the forward position. He has also shown a decent ability to stretch the floor as well, making 33.9 percent of his three-point attempts.

In their first matchup, Brazdeikis was slowed down, going for just 10 points on 2-of-7 shooting. Expect Justin Smith to be tasked with guarding Brazdeikis once again.

Two other players to watch are Charles Matthews (13.3 PPG) and Jordan Poole (12.9 PPG). While both of these players are above average scorers, neither tends to completely break down the defense like Indiana saw last Saturday with Carsen Edwards. As a result, the Hoosier defense will mostly need to focus on pressuring Matthews and Poole and limiting open looks for each of them.

Last but not least, Zavier Simpson is a tremendous point guard for Michigan who runs their team and plays outstanding defense. He represents a steady presence for Michigan and is one of the most underrated players in the country based on the value he adds to his team.

Keys to the game

First, is pick and roll defense. Zavier Simpson is an excellent decision maker with plenty of offensive weapons to use out of ball screen scenarios.

Without one of their best on ball defenders in Devonte Green, the Indiana guards will need to apply great ball pressure to shut down the alley oop to Michigan’s big man, Jon Teske, first and foremost. However, the Wolverines present a “pick your poison” dilemma with Simpson’s ability to distribute the ball to the team’s shooters like Poole and Matthews.

Second, the Hoosiers just need to play freely and confident offensively. Indiana has been abysmal offensively throughout its five game losing streak, and a major part of that has been its apparent lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

For the final ten minutes of the Northwestern game, Indiana fans finally saw the team’s offense spring to life after appearing timid for much of the game.

Look for the Hoosiers to maintain this free flowing, aggressive, mindset if they want to knock off Michigan Friday.

Lastly, Indiana needs to ride the energy in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana’s home fans have always thrived in producing top notch big game atmospheres, and this team will need every bit of support from the Hoosier faithful on Friday in order to knock off the Wolverines.

What you need to know

What? Indiana 12-7 (3-5) vs Michigan 18-1 (7-1)
When? Friday, January 25 – 6:30 pm EST
Where? Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall – Bloomington, Indiana
TV? FS1
Radio? Indiana Radio Network
All-Time series? Indiana leads series, 79-44
Prediction? Indiana 76, Michigan 73