Michigan’s return to the courtroom figures to be a brutal reminder of simply how powerful the Huge Ten is because the Wolverines are set to play their first sport in over three weeks on the highway in opposition to one of many league’s preseason favorites on Sunday at Wisconsin. The Badgers have been alternating between wins and losses over the previous few weeks whereas Michigan has been on pause, however the No. 21 Badgers enter the assembly as one in all seven ranked Huge Ten groups.
The No. 3 Wolverines received the primary assembly 77-54 on Jan. 12 in what was a matchup of top-10 groups on the time. That 23-point defeat marked Wisconsin’s lowest scoring output of the season and its largest margin of defeat, so motivation ought to be no problem for the Badgers as they search revenge. The Badgers are additionally 11-2 at Kohl Heart this season and will actually have a conditioning benefit on Sunday because the Wolverines ramp again up. However Michigan remained a top-five group throughout its prolonged pause for a purpose, and that purpose is a 13-1 report that features an 8-1 starting to Huge Ten play.
Gauging how prepared the Wolverines shall be to compete in opposition to a high-quality foe after their break is hard, however coach Juwan Howard has proven he can extract quite a bit from this Michigan roster. It units up what ought to be an insightful second assembly between two groups with severe postseason aspirations.
Viewing info
- When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
- The place: Kohl Heart in Madison, Wisconsin
- TV: CBS | Reside stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
- OTT: CBS Sports activities App (Apple TV, Roku, Fireplace TV, Chromecast)
Storylines
Michigan: Minnesota ended Michigan’s undefeated begin on Jan. 16, however the Wolverines received their subsequent two video games in opposition to league opponents by double-digits earlier than the college’s whole athletic division shut down after the invention of a COVID-19 variant on campus. In consequence, Michigan has not performed since Jan. 22. However the Wolverines have loads of time to get again on top of things earlier than the postseason, and there may be loads of purpose to imagine this squad can regain the shape it loved earlier than the shutdown. Although star freshman middle Hunter Dickinson started dropping off a bit earlier than the pause, he is an absolute drive. So are senior ahead Isaiah Livers and versatile sophomore Franz Wagner. Collectively, the trio current matchup issues with their size and physicality, whereas senior guards Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown and Eli Brown present regular play out of the again courtroom.
Wisconsin: Protection is that this group’s spine, and nobody has scored greater than 74 opponents on the Badgers this season. Wisconsin has held 10 opponents beneath 60 factors this season, together with six Huge Ten groups. The Badgers are 6-0 in these video games, and so they absolutely have visions of retaining the well-rested Wolverines beneath that benchmark. Offensively, the Badgers play at a slower tempo than anybody within the Huge Ten, and that ends in a skinny margin for error offensively. As such, the effectiveness of their 3-point taking pictures appears to have performed an outsized position in latest weeks. Wisconsin shot 36.8% and hit at the least 9 3-pointers in its final three victories however averaged simply six 3-point makes and shot simply 22.5% from past the arc in its final three losses.
Sport prediction, choose
Newest Odds:
Wisconsin Badgers
-1
Do not count on too many factors in a matchup of two defenses ranked within the top-10 nationally by KenPom. Wisconsin acquired embarrassed by Michigan within the first assembly. Along with that added motivation, the Badgers also needs to carry higher conditioning and normal preparedness into this sport due to Michigan’s layoff. Prediction: Wisconsin 64, Michigan 58
So who wins each school basketball sport right this moment? And which underdogs pull off gorgeous upsets? Visit SportsLine now to get picks for every game, all from the unbiased model that simulates every game 10,000 times, and discover out.
