Get to Know: Hunter Dickinson Leading Michigan Into London

The Wolverines present a powerful frontcourt to match-up against Oscar Tshiebwe and the Wildcats.

The No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats will look for their first win away from home on Sunday, as they travel across the pond to London, England to take on the Michigan Wolverines. 

It's the third non-conference Power Five challenge of the season for UK (5-2), who enters the matchup following a bland 60-41 win over Bellarmine. The Wolverines (5-2) will look to avoid a two-game losing skid, though they nearly took down No. 3 Virginia on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. 

Here's what you need to know about the maize and blue: 

• KenPom Rating: 48 (11th in Big Ten)
• Picked to finish third in the Preseason Big Ten Media Poll
• Michigan and Kentucky have played seven times, the Wildcats lead the all-time series 5-2

The Record (5-2) 

Notable Games: 

• Nov. 16: 91-60 W vs. Pittsburgh (neutral site) 
• Nov. 17: 62-87 L vs. Arizona State (neutral site)
• Nov. 20: 70-66 (OT) W vs. Ohio 
• Nov. 29: 68-70 L vs. No. 3 Virginia

• The Wolverines haven't been particularly impressive so far this season. In six games as a favorite, their 2-4 against the spread. 
• In four home buy-games, Michigan is winning by an average of just 9.5 points. The average KenPom rating of those opponents is 252.25. 
• Michigan took part in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, picking up a 31-point win over Pittsburgh, then suffering a disappointing 25-point loss to Arizona State. 
• The Wolverines took Virginia down to the wire in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge at home but was unable to pull out the marquee win. 
• Kentucky is the next-to-last non-conference P5 opponent on UM's schedule. It will also play North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational on Dec. 21. 

Juwan Howard

• The former Wolverine tallied a 61-32 record in his first three seasons as head coach. 
• He has taken UM to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, where it made the second weekend both times. The Wolverines would have likely been in the 2020 tourney if not for the COVID-19 Pandemic. 
• Howard became the first person to earn a No. 1 seed as a player and as a coach in the NCAA Tournament.
• He was also named the 2021 Associated Press National Coach of the Year.
• Prior to his coaching career, Howard had a 19-year NBA playing career capped off by winning back-to-back NBA championships (2012 & 2013) with the Miami Heat, playing with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
• The No. 5 overall pick in 1994, Howard appeared in 1,208 games, averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He finished his career with 16,159 points and 7,428 rebounds while adding 2,663 assists. He was named to the 1995 NBA All-Rookie second team and was an All-NBA third team and All-Star in 1996.
• Prior to his pro career, Howard spent three years in Ann Arbor from 1991-94. Howard was a member of the "Fab Five" and helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 1992 and 1993. 
  

Hunter Dickinson 

• Leading the way on the court for the Wolverines is 7-foot-1 center Hunter Dickinson. If you aren't familiar with the big man, here's a list of his collegiate accolades: 
• -All-America, consensus (2021) Associated Press, NABC, Sporting News, USA Today and USBWA
• -All-Big Ten, first team (2021; M)
• -All-Big Ten, second team (2021, '22; C & 2022; M)
• -Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2021; C & M)
• -Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2021)
• So far this season, he leads the team averaging 19.1 points-per-game and 9.1 rebounds-per-game. He has scored 20-plus points in four games already this year. 
• Against Virginia, he put up 23 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two assists. He will provide a unique and interesting challenge for Oscar Tshiebwe in the paint.

Other Starters

• Jett Howard will be the primary challenge at guard. The son of Juwan, he averages 15.1 PPG and leads the team in 3-pointers made with 21. He is shooting 43 percent from deep. 
• Kobe Bufkin is a backcourt mate, leading the Wolverines in assists (20) and steals (9). He adds 9.4 PPG, though he has an abysmal percentage from 3-point range, shooting it at an 18 percent clip. 
• Terrance Williams II mans the post down low with Dickinson, hauling in 6.9 RPG. He scores 8.4 PPG, presenting a top-notch duo in the frontcourt. 
• Grad student guard Jaelin Llewellyn rounds out the starting five, raking in 7.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 2.5 APG. 
• All five of Michigan's starters average at least 26 minutes-per-game. 

Tale of the Tape

Per UK Athletics: 

Other Important Stats

• Michigan is averaging 111.8 points every 100 possessions, the 26th best mark in the nation, per KenPom. 
• On defense, the Wolverines allow 97.6 points every 100 possessions, checking in at No. 89 in the country. 
• Michigan has made nine or more treys in four games this season. It is shooting 32.9 percent from deep as a team.
• The Wolverines get to the free throw line, having attempted 18 or more FT's in five games. The issue is cashing in on those attempts, as UM is shooting 67 percent from the charity stripe, No. 236 in the country.
• Dickinson and Co. rack up deflections, averaging 6.4 blocks-per-game. That rate is No. 7 in the nation. 

Wildcats Today will have game coverage as the Cats look for the win overseas. Tip-off on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. EST

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