Michigan’s return to court is a brutal reminder of how tough the Big Ten is, as the Wolverines are about to play their first game in more than three weeks on the road against one of the league’s preseason favorites on Sunday in Wisconsin . The Badgers have been alternating between wins and losses in recent weeks, while Michigan is on pause, but the number 21 Badgers enters the meeting as one of seven teams classified as Big Ten.
The third Wolverines won the first game 77-54 on January 12, in what was a dispute between the top 10 teams of the time. This 23-point defeat marked Wisconsin’s lowest score of the season and its biggest margin of defeat, so motivation should be no problem for the Badgers looking for revenge. The Badgers are also 11-2 at the Kohl Center this season and they are sure to have a conditioning advantage on Sunday as the Wolverines rise. But Michigan remained one of the top five teams during its extended break for a reason, and that reason is a 13-1 record that includes an 8-1 start for the Big Ten.
Assessing how ready the Wolverines will be to compete against a high-quality opponent after the break is difficult, but coach Juwan Howard has shown that he can extract a lot from that Michigan list. It establishes what must be a second insightful encounter between two teams with serious post-season aspirations.
Viewing information
- When: Sunday, 1 pm ET
- Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin
- TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
- OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
Storylines
Michigan: Minnesota ended Michigan’s undefeated start on January 16, but the Wolverines won their next two games against league opponents by double digits before the entire athletics department at the school was closed after the discovery of a COVID-19 variant on campus . As a result, Michigan hasn’t played since January 22. But the Wolverines have plenty of time to get up to speed before the postseason, and there are many reasons to believe that this team can regain the shape it was in before the close. Although Hunter Dickinson started to give in just before the break, he is an absolute force. As well as senior striker Isaiah Livers and versatile sophomore Franz Wagner. Collectively, the trio presents problems of confrontation with their length and physicality, while the main guards Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown and Eli Brown play outside the back court.
Wisconsin: Defense is the backbone of this team, and no one has scored more than 74 opponents on Badgers this season. Wisconsin has had 10 opponents under 60 points this season, including six Big Ten teams. The Badgers are 6-0 in those games and certainly have visions of keeping the rested Wolverines below that mark. Offensively, the Badgers play at a slower pace than any of the Big Ten, and this results in a small offensive margin of error. As such, the effectiveness of your 3-point shot appears to have played a disproportionate role in the past few weeks. Wisconsin hit 36.8% and hit at least nine points out of 3 in his last three wins, but averaged just six 3-point marks and hit just 22.5% beyond the arc in his last three losses.
Game preview, choose
Most recent odds:
Wisconsin Badgers -1
Don’t expect too many points in a clash of two defenses ranked in the top 10 nationally by KenPom. Wisconsin was embarrassed by Michigan at the first meeting. In addition to this additional motivation, the Badgers must also bring better conditioning and general preparation for this game because of Michigan’s layoff. Prediction: Wisconsin 64, Michigan 58
Who wins all the college basketball games today? And which underdogs cause impressive surprises? Visit SportsLine now to get choices for each game, all from the unbiased model that simulates each game 10,000 times, and find out.