Indiana Basketball vs Michigan: Know your opponent, preview, and prediction
By Adam Childs
The Indiana basketball team looks to build off of their win against Iowa when they head to Michigan for a Sunday afternoon game.
The Indiana Hoosiers (16-8, 6-7) are looking to use the momentum from their win Thursday night against the Iowa Hawkeyes to get a big road win when they visit the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolverines are coming off two straight wins, including a big home win against their in-state rival Michigan State Spartans. Michigan is playing much better after getting their top scorer Isaiah Livers back from a groin injury. Livers had missed nine of the previous ten games before coming back for their win over Michigan State.
Livers might be the leading scorer for the Wolverines, but Zavier Simpson is the leader for Michigan. Simpson is second in the country averaging eight assists per game. While not the best shooter, Simpson is one of the best point guards in the country and runs the Wolverines offense very well.
Jon Teske, Michigan’s big man has been in a bit of a slump lately but can still be very good down low, but Austin Davis is starting to emerge as a real threat also. Eli Brooks is also a guy to keep an eye on as he can get very hot from deep and can also hit the mid-range jumper.
Indiana will have its hands full on defense as the Michigan offense is built around movement and getting open shots on a very consistent basis. They rarely dump the ball down low and have a big man back a guy down. The Hoosiers will have to communicate well if they want to stop the Wolverines.
On offense, the Hoosiers need to use their speed advantage against Michigan’s bigs. They may be bigger than Indiana’s big men but Jackson-Davis and others have more speed. They need to attack them off the dribble if they want to be successful. Michigan is one of the best teams in the country at contesting shots from the outside, so the Hoosiers need to attack the middle to open up the outside.
This will be a tough matchup for the Hoosiers and with Livers back and playing well for Michigan they are playing with more confidence and explosiveness. If the Hoosiers can keep the Wolverines from hitting their outside shots they have a chance. Both of these teams are prone to long scoring droughts and the team that can avoid those slumps will have the upper hand.
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Key Storylines
Indiana
Can Devonte Green continue his hot shooting on the road? Can Trayce Jackson-Davis be effective against Michigan’s bigs? Who guards Zavier Simpson and can they stop the pick and roll offense? Can the Hoosiers limit the open looks the Wolverines get so often in their offense?
Michigan
Will they knock down their open looks or struggle to score? Will Isaiah Livers be effective as he continues to get back into game shape? Can Jon Teske snap out of his 2020 slump? Will Teske and Austin Davis be able to slow Trayce Jackson-Davis?
Key Players
Indiana
Trayce Jackson-Davis (14 ppg, 8 rpg), Justin Smith (11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Devonte Green (11 ppg, 38.3% 3pt), Al Durham (9.5 ppg, 34.2% 3pt)
Michigan
Isaiah Livers (13.4 ppg, 45.7% 3pt), Zavier Simpson.(12.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Jon Teske (12.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Eli Brooks (11.3 ppg, 38.8% 3pt)
Next. Hoosiers in the middle of a muddled Big Ten. dark