Michigan's Three-Game Win Streak, NCAA Tournament Hopes At Stake Against Indiana

Indiana basketball travels to Michigan on Saturday for another pivotal Big Ten game. The Wolverines are currently on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture, but have played some of their best basketball in recent games thanks to improved 3-point shooting.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana surged into second place in the Big Ten with wins over No. 1 Purdue on Saturday and No. 24 Rutgers on Tuesday.

But in order to maintain their standing in the conference, the Hoosiers have a pair of tricky road contests ahead, beginning Saturday at Michigan (14-10, 8-5). 

With roughly a month until Selection Sunday, the Wolverines are on the outside looking in, according to Joe Lunardi's latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology, making Saturday's matchup against Indiana crucial as ever.

"This is definitely a game where we want to make our stand and kind of put not only the league but the country on notice that we're playing really good basketball right now," Michigan center Hunter Dickinson said. "And we're trying to make a serious run at this thing."

Indiana holds a 3-5 record on the road, claiming a résumé-boosting win at Xavier, a 15-point win at Illinois and sneaking away with a 61-57 win at Minnesota. The Hoosiers stumbled to a 66-55 loss in their most recent road game at Maryland, a place where no Big Ten opponent has won this season.  

Indiana heads to the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend, where the Wolverines have a 10-3 record. Their three home losses include a 70-68 loss to now-No. 8 Virginia, a 63-61 loss to an 8-16 Central Michigan team and a 75-70 loss to No. 1 Purdue. 

The Wolverines are on a three-game win streak, and they've played especially well at home the last two games. Michigan beat Ohio State by eight points on Sunday and dominated Nebraska by 21 on Wednesday. Behind 26 points and 11 rebounds from junior center Hunter Dickinson, Michigan shot 49 percent overall with four Wolverines making two 3-pointers each. 

Against Nebraska, Michigan knocked down 14-of-26 3-point attempts. This was Michigan's second-best 3-point shooting game of the season from a percentage standpoint, and it tied the season-high for total makes. Freshman guard Jett Howard led the 3-point barrage with a 6-for-14 game. 

On Saturday, Indiana's Mike Woodson will coach his first game at Michigan, a team he played to a 1-1 record last year. The Wolverines cruised to an 80-62 win at Assembly Hall last January, but Indiana saved its season with a 74-69 win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. This victory snapped Indiana's nine-game losing streak against Michigan, which began on March 11, 2016 in the Big Ten Tournament.

Dickinson leads the Wolverines with 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, and he's 2-1 in his career against Indiana. Dickinson outscored Jackson-Davis in the first two matchups, but Indiana's star forward posted 24 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the most recent contest.

Dickinson is a known commodity for Jackson-Davis and Indiana, but he's surrounded by a handful of newcomers. Standout freshman Jett Howard, coach Juwan Howard's son, is second on the team with 15.0 points per game. Jett handles the ball on the perimeter, and he's second in the Big Ten with 166 3-point attempts, good for a 39.2 3-point field goal percentage.

Kobe Bufkin has taken a major leap as a 6-foot-4 sophomore, going from 3.0 points in 10.0 minutes per game as a freshman to an every-game starter averaging 12.3 points. When Jaelin Llewellyn went down with a torn ACL in early December, 5-foot-11 freshman Dug McDaniel stepped into the starting lineup. He scored 14 points and knocked down both 3-point attempts against Nebraska on Wednesday.

Duke transfer Joey Baker has proven to be an important piece off the bench, knocking down 44.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. He's had some of his best games in recent weeks, with double-digit games against Purdue, Northwestern and Nebraska since Jan. 26.

On Friday, Indiana freshman forward Malik Reneau shared his impression on Big Ten road venues and what it takes to win away from Assembly Hall.

"When we venture out and go to away games, it's hostile," Reneau said. "You got the fans talking against you and stuff, so it's crazy, but you've just got to cut all that negative energy out and listen to what coach is saying and just perform."

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