Game Day Essentials:
No. 18 Indiana (17-7, 8-5) at Michigan (14-10, 8-5)
- Tip Time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Crisler Center (12,707), Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Television: ESPN (Kevin Brown, Robbie Hummel, Myron Medcalf)
- Stream: Watch ESPN
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Michigan is a 3-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 21 Indiana 75 No. 51 Michigan 74
- Series: Indiana leads 108-65. IU won last meeting 74-69 on Mar. 10, 2022
More Game Coverage:
- Watch: Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson previews matchup with Indiana
- Previewing IU vs. Michigan: Seven questions about the Wolverines
- Watch: Malik Reneau Q&A as IU prepares for Michigan
Michigan’s Juwan Howard:
Juwan Howard is in his 4th season as head coach of the Wolverines.
He has made the NCAA Tournament in two of his three years. The only year Michigan didn’t make it was during the 2019-20 campaign when the Tournament was canceled due to COVID. The Wolverines were 19-12 that season.
With 61 wins during his three-year tenure, Howard ranks as the second U-M coach to amass 60+ wins to start their careers, just behind his former collegiate coach and mentor Steve Fisher, who had 62.
Howard’s Wolverines won the 2021 Big Ten regular season title with a 14-3 record in conference play. They have won at least 10 conference games in each of his first three seasons.
Success hasn’t just been a theme in the Big Ten, but also in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan made the Elite Eight in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in 2022.
Before becoming head coach at Michigan, Howard spending six years on the coaching staff with the Miami Heat.
Howard, who graduated from Michigan in 1995, played three years in Ann Arbor from 1991-94. He finished his career with 1,500 points (1,526; 15.3 ppg) and 700 rebounds (745; 7.5 rpg).
Michigan results and roster:
Michigan began the season 7-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Until recently, they had been up and down ever since then.
The Wolverines are winners of three straight. They most recently beat Nebraska 93-72 at home on Wednesday.
Michigan is 10-3 overall at home, with losses to Virginia, Central Michigan and Purdue.
The Wolverines’ wins over KenPom top-50 teams have come against Maryland, Northwestern and Ohio State.
Michigan Notes:
- After a program best nine-game winning streak against Indiana, Michigan had its run snapped by the Hoosiers at the 2022 Big Ten Tournament. Leading by as much as 17, IU rallied in the second half to eliminate the Wolverines, 74-69.
- Michigan has won its last three games. The last time the Wolverines strung together three wins was at the start of the season – Purdue Fort Wayne, vs. Eastern Michigan (LCA) and vs. Pittsburgh (Legends Classic).
- Indiana will be Michigan’s fourth ranked opponent. So far, U-M is 0-3, however, has lost to the nation’s ranked by just 3.6 points — No. 1 Purdue (L, 75-70, -5; Jan. 26), No. 3 Virginia (L, 70-68, -2; Nov. 29) and No. 19 Kentucky (L, 73-69, -4; Dec. 4).
- U-M scored a season-high 93 points against Nebraska. It marks the second time the Wolverines have surpassed 90-plus points – vs. Pittsburgh (91).
- Hunter Dickinson, who continues to lead the Wolverines in scoring (18.0) and rebounding (8.5), has back-to-back games with double-doubles. He has eight this season and 25 for his career (t-11th; C.J. Kupec)
- Since a two game stretch going 3-for-10 at the free throw line (Northwestern, at Maryland), Dickinson has gone 31-for-37 (83.7%) — a six game stretch.
- With 10 rebounds against Nebraska, Dickinson (203) reached 200-plus boards for a third straight season. He is the 12th Wolverine overall and the 10th to do it in three straight seasons. In fact, he is the first Wolverine to accomplish this in 20 years — LaVell Blanchard (2000-03).
- With one block, Dickinson (39) would reach 40-plus for a third straight season and become the third Wolverine to do so — Roy Tarpley and Courtney Sims.
- Over his last three games, Kobe Bufkin has averaged 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. During this stretch, he posted his first career double-double (15 points, career-best 12 rebounds) at Northwestern (Feb. 2). In that same game he had a career-best eight assists. He followed with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Ohio State (Feb. 5) and 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Nebraska (Feb. 8).
- Jett Howard, who is second with 15.0 ppg, has 15 three-pointers since returning from a left ankle injury (4 games) which had him out for the game vs. No. 1 Purdue. During this stretch he has recorded two of his four 20-plus point games.
- Howard’s team-best 65 three-pointers (2nd in Big Ten; Penn State’s Andrew Funk, 73) more than doubles that of the next closest Wolverine (Joey Baker, 31).
- Howard needs 12 three-pointers to crack into U-M’s top 10 for most in a single season (#10, Zak Irvin: 77 in 2014-15). With 35 more Howard could become the second Wolverine to reach 100 in a season (Louis Bullock, 101 in 1996-97).
- Dug McDaniel’s leads U-M with 90 assists (3.8 apg), the most for a U-M freshman since All-American Trey Burke had 156 (4.6 apg) in 2011-12. Since the 2009-10 season, McDaniel is the sixth freshman to record 50-plus assists in their first season.
- Combining Bufkin (69 assists, 32 steals) and McDaniel (86 assists, 25 steals), the Maize and Blue duo has nearly half of U-M’s 298 assists (155) and 116 steals (57).
- Joey Baker has scored in double figures in three of his last five games. In those double-digit games he has made at least three triples. In fact, in his last five games he has averaged 11.2 points per game and is 11-for-21 from long range (52.3%).
- After going 7-for-32 (21.8%) at the free throw line (20 games), Tarris Reed, Jr. is 5-for-6 (83.3%) over his last four games.
- Over his last eight games, Will Tschetter is 11-for-13 (84.6%) from the field and is 2-for-4 (50.0%) from long range.
Michigan’s 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:
Tempo – No. 136 (Offense No. 169 / Defense No. 165)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 41
- Michigan’s effective field goal percentage of 51.8 percent is No. 111 nationally. They are No. 138 nationally in two-point percentage (51.1) and rank No. 114 in three-point percentage (35.3).
- The Wolverines take care of the ball, only turning it over on 14.1 percent of possessions, No. 7.
- Free throw attempts account for only 30.8 percent of field goal attempts, No. 195. When they do get to the line they don’t normally cash in, making only 69.5 percent, No. 250.
- Michigan is not a strong offensive rebounding team. They only grab 25.1 percent of their misses, No. 287 nationally.
Defensive Efficiency – No. 73
- Michigan ranks No. 92 in overall opponent field goal percentage (48.5), including No. 65 in three-point percentage (31.7) and No. 133 in two-point percentage (49.0).
- Indiana can’t rely too much on getting to the line, as Michigan allows free throw attempts on just 25.3 percent of field goal attempts, No. 41.
- The Wolverines aren’t super disruptive defensively, as they turn opponents over on just 15.5 percent of possessions, No. 337.
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