Michigan Info
Head Coach: Juwan Howard
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Wolverines
Shirt not to wear: Yellow, Blue, Nike
Last time out: Beat San Diego St
Line: Michigan by 7
Typical Rotation Depth: 8
KenPom rank: 18
Other:
- Nebraska hosts Michigan at home in December for the 2nd consecutive year
Player to watch: Hunter Dickenson
The offense runs through the massive Dickenson who rarely leaves the court. Besides excelling at rebounding and converting in the paint, Dickenson is also a gifted passer, able to work out of double teams. He'll occasionally pop a 3, currently 4-8 on the year.
Player to watch: Caleb Houstan
As you can see from this game chart, the success of Michigan thus far has correlated with the offensive output of 5 star Freshman Caleb Houston. We'll see if the young star can hold up in his second true road game of the year.
Possible Michigan Starters
12 DeVante’ Jones G 6-1 200 GS New Orleans, La. (St. Augustine HS/Coastal Carolina)
55 Eli Brooks G 6-1 185 GS Spring Grove, Pa. (Spring Grove Senior HS)
22 Caleb Houstan G/F 6-8 205 Fr. Mississauga, Ontario (Montverde Academy [Fla.])
23 Brandon Johns, Jr. F 6-8 240 Sr. East Lansing, Mich. (East Lansing HS)
1 Hunter Dickinson C 7-1 260 So. Alexandria, Va. (DeMatha Catholic HS)
Questionable
14 Moussa Diabate F 6-11 210 Fr. Paris, France (IMG Academy [Fla.])
Probable Rotation
5 Terrance Williams II F 6-7 230 So. Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga College HS)
10 Frankie Collins G 6-1 185 Fr. Sacramento, Calif. (Coronado HS [Nev.])
2 Kobe Bufkin G 6-4 175 Fr. Grand Rapids, Mich. (Grand Rapids Christian HS)
0 Adrien Nuñez G 6-6 220 Sr. Brooklyn, N.Y. (St. Thomas More Prep [Conn.])
Bench
3 Zeb Jackson G 6-5 190 So. Toledo, Ohio (Montverde Academy [Fla.])
4 Brandon Wade G 6-1 190 Sr. Ann Arbor, Mich. (Skyline HS/Duquesne)
11 Isaiah Barnes G/F 6-7 185 Fr. Chicago, Ill. (Simeon Career Academy)
13 Ian Burns G 6-6 200 Fr. Winnetka, Ill. (New Trier HS)
25 Jace Howard G 6-7 220 So. Miami, Fla. (University School)
42 Will Tschetter F 6-8 230 Fr. Stewartville, Minn. (Stewartville HS)
44 Jaron Faulds F 6-10 240 Sr. Holt, Mich. (Holt HS/Columbia)
The Rest of the Roster
Senior PG transfer DeVante’ Jones takes over for Mike Smith. He's been good but not as consistent as Jones, especially from 3pt. Foul prone, it's something to monitor if he's guarding Alonso Verge. Combo guard Eli Brooks has been Michigan's most reliable outside shooter. Senior Brandon Johns has struggled with his shot but is likely back in the starting lineup with Moussa Diabate seemingly out with an illness. If Diabate can play, the 5 star freshman and his 7'3" wingspan will cause issues for Nebraska on both ends of the court. Versatile forward Terrance Williams should see plenty of minutes tonight and is doing everything except making baskets. 4 star freshman pg Frankie Collins has seen his minutes tick up as the season has progressed. Lefty freshman wing Kobe Bufkin leads a list of bench players who might see spot minutes tonight.
UNL Game Notes
Probable starters for Nebraska
1 Alonzo Verge G 6-3
30 Keisei Tominaga G 6-2
5 Bryce McGowens G 6-7
11 Lat Mayen F 6-9
13 Derrick Walker F 6-9
Bench
23 Keon Edwards G 6-7
32 Wilhelm Breidenbach F 6-10
0 C.J. Wilcher G 6-5
35 Eduardo Andre F 6-11
10 Kobe Webster G 6-0
14 Trevor Lakes F 6-8
3 Quaran McPherson G 6-3
33 Oleg Kojenets F 7-0
4 Jackson Cronin G 6-1
12 Sam Hoiberg G 6-0
15 Chris McGraw G 6-0
21 Jace Piatkowski G 6-3
The Skinny:
Nebraska came into this year with some buzz based on their incoming class of recruits ranked in the top 25. Impressive as that might be, the Huskers host a Michigan team rolling into this season with a top 5 class. 5 stars? Michigan has 2 this year and undoubtedly more on the way. Former NBA star and assistant Juwan Howard is recruiting at a high level and the Wolverines have arguably increased a ceiling that was already high during the John Beilein era.
The Wolverines are a lot like Indiana where everything runs through the post, they rebound well, and they're turnover prone. Look for Nebraska to try and deny the ball into Dickinson but they likely need a plan B as Michigan probably has countermeasures already planned. If someone is able to slow down Caleb Houstan they certainly need to stay on the court regardless of their output on the offensive end.
Offensively Michigan doesn't run you off the 3pt line as much as Indiana but their man defense tends to turn teams towards the dreaded "hero ball" play. Free throws should be hard to come by for the Huskers but Verge might be able to draw contact on either of the PGs. The Huskers will likely have to start hitting from outside the arc tonight to win. Even-keeled Fred Hoiberg went so far as to climb a ladder with two basketballs to demonstrate the size of the 'big ass hoop' in order to slump bust Nebraska's putrid outside shooting.
This is a frustrated Nebraska team. Can they simply have a few guys hit some shots tonight?
Prediction: Nebraska 75 - Michigan 72
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