Michigan Basketball (18-12, 8-9) will wrap up the regular season by hosting the Michigan State Spartans (17-12, 9-8) on Saturday afternoon at Crisler Arena. The game will tip at 2pm and be televised on CBS.
Blast: Take your preconceived notions about this rivalry and throw ‘em in the trash. Michigan is the better team right now and will get the win on Saturday.
Scoop: Michigan bounced back from the buzzer beater loss to Wisconsin by handling Minnesota at The Barn. The win over the Gophers evened U-M’s road record at 5-5 and vaulted them into serious tournament consideration. After they finish off the sweep of the Spartans, Michigan will head to the Big Ten Tournament in good position for their second NCAA bid in the last 3 years.
A little over a month ago Michigan knocked off MSU 61-57 in East Lansing. Not only was that U-M’s first win at the Breslin Center since 1997, but it snapped a 6-game losing streak. The win at MSU launched Michigan on an improbable run that has seen them go 7-3 in their last 10 games and rise from the ashes of a 1-6 start to conference play.
For Michigan State to have a chance in this one they’ll need to get Michigan in early foul trouble. The last thing John Beilein wants to do is sit Jordan Morgan or Tim Hardaway Jr. for 10 minutes in the first half because they are saddled with 2 fouls. The other possibility, as remote as it might be, is if Michigan has another Illinois-esque shooting performance. In U-M’s two point loss at Illinois they shot 2-18 from beyond the arc.
Breakdown: The game will be played in front of a sold out Crisler Arena crowd and U-M has put the fans on notice that this game is a Maize Out. Translation – if you’re going to the game wear Maize, don’t be that guy who shows up in a gray shirt. Additionally, all fans will have a maize pom pom on their seat. It will be nice to see a packed Arena supporting this team full of outstanding young men.
Tim Hardaway, Jr.
Michigan is one of the best kept secrets in College Basketball. They are loaded with young talent and are really fun to watch. The backcourt duo of Darius Morris (So) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (Fr) is already one of the best in the country. Yes, they are really that good. Hardaway is the three-time reigning Big Ten Freshmen of the Week which is no small feat with Jared Sullinger roaming the conference hardwood. Over the last 5 games Hardaway is averaging 20.8 points per game and shooting 60% from three-point land. Morris leads the Big Ten and ranks 5th nationally in assists (6.8). They are not a two-man show either as Jordan Morgan (RS Fr) has been a revelation in the post. He leads the conference in FG% (62.2) and is averaging 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. I haven’t even mentioned the immeasurable contributions they get from Zack Novak or any of Michigan’s other three-pointer snipers; Stu Douglass, Matt Vogrich, and Evan Smotrycz.
Michigan will win this game behind the outstanding play of Morris. He will drive and take whatever MSU is giving him. If they wall him off, he’ll kick the rock out to one of Michigan’s snipers. If they give him a crease he’ll knock down a close range shot or spoon feed Morgan for an easy bucket. The other key factor in this game is something most people probably don’t realize; Michigan is very good in transition. If the Spartans, who rank 241st nationally in turnover margin, turn the ball over Michigan will run and the Wolverines are good in the open court. Another factor to consider is that Michigan ranks 5th nationally in fewest turnovers per game which means they don’t make a lot of mistakes. If U-M is able to get out and run and make this a high scoring game, that would be good news because Michigan is 16-0 when they score 65 or more points this season.
Michigan State was a preseason Top 2 team, but has struggled to find consistency. Their longest winning streak of the year was a 3 gamer to open the season. They’ve also had to deal with Korie Lucious being dismissed from the team halfway through the season. His loss and the preseason loss of Chris Allen have hurt MSU quite a bit. You can throw all that out the window because the Spartans will bring their best effort into this contest. “We’re gonna find a way to win on Saturday,” said Tom Izzo on Wednesday night. Despite his proclamation and a best effort from the Spartans they still won’t be able to avoid being swept by U-M for the first time since 1997.
Perspective: The matchup on Saturday is big for both teams as they look to strengthen their standing with the selection committee and hope to get a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. It is also the final piece in the puzzle that Joe and I laid out for everybody back in January after the Ohio State loss.
Predictions: Joe is 24-6 and I am 23-7 in picking the outcome of Michigan games this season. We both like Michigan to get this one.
Joe: Michigan 71-62
Rob: Michigan 70-64
Notes:
- Michigan is one of just 16 schools in the country with five-or-more victories on the road against BCS conference opponents.
- Normally this would be a senior day game for Michigan, but they don’t have any seniors on the roster.
- Darius Morris’ 204 assists are the third-most in a single season by a Wolverine. Morris trails only Gary Grant’s 1987-88 season (234) and Rumeal Robinson’s 1988-89 season (233).
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