Hoosier Men’s Hoops: Matchup with Michigan Game Preview
The men’s basketball teams for Indiana and Michigan head into tomorrow night’s showdown in Ann Arbor riding opposite waves of momentum. IU is presently in the midst of an impressive three game win streak, and opened up Big Ten play with an all-around solid dub over Maryland. Michigan is currently on the other end of the spectrum as they are in the thick of a tough two game skid. Their most recent loss against Oregon came in heartbreaking fashion.
Trends aside, everything could change once the ref throws the ball in the air. The Hoosiers may own a better overall record than the Wolverines prior to Tuesday evening’s matchup, but Michigan will assuredly be hungry for a victory. This will also be the conference opener for the blue and yellow, and will take place on their home court in front of their home crowd. The environment inside of the Crisler Center is sure to be raucous, so the cream and crimson will have to come mentally prepared for war.
In the last face off between the rivals in Ann Arbor, the Hoosiers came out on top in a heated clash at the start of 2023. That game was an accurate depiction of the history between the two conference foes, as the Hoosiers own a 109-65 record all-time as of today. With that being said, they have a much better record when playing at home in the history of the matchups, which serves as a testament to the type of atmosphere they are about to enter.
Michigan may sit at .500 as of today, but they do have some talented players on their roster. The Wolverines are led by sophomore Dug McDaniel, one of the more promising young guards in the country. If Xavier Johnson is unable to go, Trey Galloway and the other Hoosiers guards will have their hands full containing him. McDaniel orchestrates a potent offense, with four guys currently scoring in double figures through the team’s opening 8 game sleight. On the other end, Michigan will not be the best defense Indiana has gone against. One area in particular to keep an eye on will be Indiana’s 3 point shooting. The Hoosiers are shooting a ratchet 25% from downtown looking ahead to tomorrow night. They may have their best shot so far to break out of their early season slump, as the Wolverines opponents’ have rained in 39.4% of their shots from beyond the arc.
If the Hoosiers are hitting their outside shots, it will make life much easier for Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau on the interior. The talented frontcourt duo, along with the slowly ascending Mackenzie Mgbako, have been crucial to the team’s success. They have been able to bully their way to buckets and boards thus far, but the Wolverines do have some size and physicality to throw at them. Tarris Reed Jr. has the bulk to bother Ware and/or Reneau in the trenches, while Olivier Nhamhoua (the team’s second best player) and Terrance Williams II offer Juwan Howard and his coaching staff secondary options that can bang down low and/or hang outside.
Tuesday night’s contest will be a tough test for the Hoosiers as we begin to turn the page into the middle stage of the season. The team will need to stay collected through whatever rowdiness they may encounter. More importantly, they will need to stay together.