Michigan basketball12/12/2023 ![]() MORE: Couch: Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears Jr. More often this season, though not always, that’s been MSU. This is likely to come down to which team has better possessions in the final few minutes. Well, six of the Spartans’ last 11 games - beginning with the first meeting against Michigan - have been decided by six points or less. I already mentioned the Wolverines' 10 close defeats this season. Prediction: This is going to be an interesting night.'This is what I envisioned when I came back.' I expect it’ll travel well again.įROM MONDAY: Couch: Joey Hauser is loving life and letting it fly. I expect they’ll be better at home, but MSU’s defense was also fantastic at Ohio State on Sunday. Freshman guards Jett Howard and Dug McDaniel struggled in East Lansing. He’s really come into his own this Big Ten season. Sophomore Kobe Bufkin was often the best Michigan player on the floor in the first meeting. If he’s back, it almost helps MSU, because he’s an obvious player to leave to help defensively on Dickinson. Michigan starting forward Terrence Williams missed the last game with a bruised knee. He had a solid statistical day last time out against the Spartans, but didn’t really hurt them. I would think MSU will use a similar approach, mixing up their defense on Dickinson, so he’s never really sure if a double-team or dig-down is coming. Michigan shot horribly that day from long range, making just 3 of 20 3-point attempts, preventing the Wolverines from making the Spartans pay for their intermittent double-teams of center Hunter Dickinson. That played out in the first matchup down the stretch. From a basketball perspective, MSU’s advantage is how seasoned its backcourt is relative to the Wolverines. But once the game gets going, I think it’ll feel relatively normal, even if more cordial than usual. Inside the matchup: This is going to be an odd atmosphere, with a lot of media attention, pregame tributes and rivalry hate put on hold.MORE: Couch: Return of MSU sports this weekend could provide warmth and community - at Breslin Center and, oddly, in Ann Arbor Their metrics aren’t that bad, they just don’t finish games well, a product of having a backcourt made up of two freshmen and a sophomore. ![]() Michigan is coming off back-to-back losses to Indiana and at Wisconsin, which were the Wolverines’ ninth and 10th losses this season by six points or less or in overtime. There are also a lot of losable games in there. But at least there are chances to change their profile, with games against MSU, at Rutgers, home against Wisconsin, at Illinois and at Indiana to close the regular season. The schedule helps, though it isn’t easy. Given their resume and the number of missed opportunities, they probably have to win at least four more games to get on the NCAA tournament bubble. Michigan update: The Wolverines’ season has reached a point where there really are no more mulligans.Nothing has been firmly decided yet.įROM TUESDAY: Couch: Shooting on MSU's campus stole lives and peace of mind MSU has five or six regular-season games remaining, depending on whether Wednesday’s postponed home game against Minnesota is made up. MSU’s 62-41 win at Ohio State last Sunday tied the Spartans’ largest margin of victory this season, matching the home win over Buffalo in late December. They’re also tops in effective field goal percentage defense and 3-point defense, holding opponents to 26.7% shooting beyond the arc. The Spartans are the Big Ten’s most efficient defense in conference play, per. MSU has been playing pretty good basketball of late, especially on the defensive end. It might even be a welcoming atmosphere for a while, given what Michigan has planned. It’ll surely alter the vibe at Crisler Center, taking some the animosity out of the air. It’s impossible to know how, or if, this difficult week will impact the Spartans once the game begins. That’s a heavy line to begin a basketball team update, but that’s the backdrop for this game, being played 60 miles down the road in Ann Arbor. MSU update: The Spartans return to the court for the first time since a gunman opened fire on campus Monday night, killing three students and leaving five others in critical condition.Series: Michigan leads 103-88 all-time.
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