Preview: LSU Basketball Faces a Different Challenge in Size With No. 1 Seed Michigan

Michigan possesses lethal combination of size and shooting to pose big threat to Tigers defense

LSU hasn't squared off with a team like Michigan all season. It's one of those games that will be won in the trenches as the Wolverines size will go head-to-head with the Tigers' ability to get out in transition and get to the rim. 

Michigan enters the second round matchup following an 82-66 win over No. 16 seed Texas Southern and Johnny Jones. It was a performance that while the Wolverines pulled away late, they did allow Texas Southern to pull within nine points at one time in the second half.

The Wolverines come in as one of the more daunting teams in the entire tournament but will be without one of their best players in senior forward Isaiah Livers, who averaged over 13 points and six rebounds a contest for Michigan this season. Livers went down late in the season with a foot injury and hasn't appeared in any postseason action.

"They're a great team either way. He seemed to be kind of an emotional leader for them but they seem to be just fine without him," Wade said. "Obviously Livers gives them a little bit more floor spacing I think for those big guys to maneuver, but they're elite with or without him. They're one of the handful of teams that can win the whole team so they're very, very good with him and I think they're good without him."

With Livers out, expect the Wolverines to go bully ball with big man Hunter Dickinson, who is without a doubt the go to option in the post. At 7-foot-1, 255 pounds, Dickinson is a different kind of beast as to what LSU is used to facing in the SEC this season. 

What makes Michigan such a tantalizing team is that it also has shooters around its bigs which help open up the floor for the big guys to have more one-on-one matchups. He's so unique that the Tigers haven't faced somebody quite like him this season which will make it a challenge for the LSU forwards and likely force the team to use traditional big man Josh Gray in order to make up for some of the size issues in the paint. 

"He’s massive, there’s not players like him in the SEC just in terms of a big, physical, low post scorer. He’s got great feel and you push him off the block, he makes a little 8-10 footer," Wade said. "He does a great job of getting position and they do a great job of getting him angles on high low feeds and on the blocks where he can maneuver and be very effective. He’s a load and we haven’t played a post player like him all season long.

"He’s a low-post scorer; you know left-shoulder, right-shoulder. You mostly want to get over his right shoulder and get to his left jump-hook," forward Darius Days said. "For him to get out and make him catch the ball further out, it’s really going to help us inside. Coach gave us a plan what we’re going to have to do to make it hard for him. It’s going to be challenge for us down low, but we’re going to take care of business."

Wade mentioned rebounding as the biggest issue the Tigers face against a very big, very tall Michigan team. With multiple players in that 6-foot-9 to 7-foot-1 range, keeping the Wolverines away from the paint is a priority. LSU accomplished that goal against St. Bonaventure on Saturday by switching on screens and not allowing the guards to get into the paint. 

This go around, the challenge will be pushing the bigs like Dickinson away from the basket and forcing them to really back down defenders, which should allow for LSU to bring extra help in those situations. 

"If we give them their first shot around that restricted arc, we're going to have an unbelievable difficult time rebounding," Wade said. "We've got to keep that ball out of what we call the post box, the box that's taped on our floor. We've got to be able to keep that ball out of that area. If we can do that, we're going to have an opportunity to rebound the ball. 

The second part of limiting the amount of possessions for Michigan is by playing clean, efficient offense. Michigan comes in as one of the more well balanced teams because it's also top 10 in defensive efficiency. LSU has been one of the top offensive teams in the country all season, headlined by Cameron Thomas, Javonte Smart, Trendon Watford and Darius Days.

The Tigers struggled to get much going in the first nine minutes of their first round game against St. Bonaventure but still wound up with 76 points because they attacked the rim and got to the free throw line while also controlling the offensive glass. It's not safe to assume all three will happen Monday night but it should be a strategy to at least get to the rim to maybe get some of the Wolverines big guys in foul trouble. 

Tip-off is set for 6:10 p.m. on CBS and Days said it's another game where fans will need to bring the popcorn.

"Oh definitely, this is going be a great one. Bring extra popcorn because it’s going to be a good one, yeah," Days said. "Definitely, most definitely, it’s going to be a good game."