Michigan vs. Wisconsin Q&A With AllBadger
A nice battle between two hot teams will take place inside Crisler Center tonight as the Wolverines host Wisconsin for the first and only matchup between the two squads this season.
Wisconsin (17-10 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) have won four in a row and always seem to give Michigan trouble with its scrappy play and outside shooting. The Wolverines have won five in a row and seven of eight itself making for what should be a hard fought battle in Ann Arbor.
Jake Kocorowski from AllBadger answered some of our questions pertaining to Wisconsin and its late-season surge.
1. Wisconsin is on a nice four-game winning streak right now. Even though three were at home and the road game was against Nebraska, wins over Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue are still impressive. Why are the Badgers so hot right now?
I think part of it is the home cooking inside the Kohl Center, where the Badgers have lost only once in 14 tries this season. Honestly though, the team is just finding answers in different areas and from different players. Redshirt junior guard D'Mitrik Trice dished out a career-high nine assists against Purdue, and in that four-game winning streak, he is averaging 6.8 per contest (along with nearly 10 points per outing as well).
In the four victories, four different players (Brevin Pritzl, Brad Davison, Aleem Ford and Micah Potter) have led the team in scoring. This is a program that does not have one player that consistently can be called upon to take over a game. Key Badgers have stepped up when needed, and particular rotational players have made an impact.
On top of that, head coach Greg Gard will always will preach defense. In three of the last four games, Wisconsin has held opposing teams to under 40% shooting (the outlier being Rutgers on Sunday in shooting 50% from the floor).
2. Michigan’s defense has been very good, particularly when it comes to other teams shooting threes. Wisconsin loves to shoot the three and has a lot of guys who can do it. How do you see that storyline playing out?
Advantage Michigan, and the reason for my thinking comes from the Badgers' home/away splits. Away from the Kohl Center, UW shoots 39.1% overall, a chilly 28.7% from three-point range (compared to 45.4% and 40.2% at home, respectively). The shooting at Nebraska on Feb. 15 was a promising sign (49.2% overall, 48.4% from three), but I'd still want to see more out of the team consistently to put the odds in their favor.
I think the Wolverines contain the Badgers from deep on Thursday night, especially at home in the Crisler Center.
3. Which player that doesn’t start for the Badgers should Michigan fans be most worried about?
Really depends upon who starts, as Brevin Pritzl and Micah Potter have alternated starts the past couple of games. I'll go with Potter though, as he is a desperately-needed presence in the frontcourt and has been a key addition to Wisconsin since becoming eligible in December (the whole NCAA transfer rules/eligibility waivers is an entirely different story and worth a couple of beers to discuss).
At 6'10 and around 250, he can bump down low with other opponents' big men, and he's becoming more and more comfortable in Wisconsin's defensive scheme with the rotational players. He has been used interchangeably with Nate Reuvers mostly in giving the junior forward a breather, though the two have played on the floor together sparingly when opponents utilize two big men of their own. He is versatile in being a factor in the paint or shooting from outside (16 of 35 from deep). In 14 games, he has scored in double digits eight times that included 18 points against Rutgers on Sunday.
4. Wisconsin’s slow pace of play is something that a lot of basketball teams aren’t doing these days. Michigan is playing faster under Juwan Howard than it ever did under John Beilein. How do you see that dynamic playing out? Can Michigan speed up the Badgers or will Wisconsin’s style dictate on the road?
Not to cop out here, but I feel you will see a little of both at times, and for me, it's honestly a lot of fun to watch these "styles clash" matchups. However, I've mostly seen the Badgers shut down opponents more in terms of pace of play. What has killed them at times has been allowing opponents to grab offensive rebounds and extending possessions (see: first Rutgers matchup in December, Purdue game in January). Michigan ranks 11th in the conference in boards on the offensive glass, so we will see if they can reel in key opportunities on Thursday.
5. Wisconsin wins the game if….
They hold Zavier Simpson to five assists or less. The guard is so versatile in distributing the ball and feeding it to other Wolverines. It's what makes him and the team so dangerous. If the Badgers can contain the passing lanes, get back on defense and know their assignments, they should be able to contain his effectiveness to an extent. That is so much easier said than done, especially on the road.
Oh yeah, besides defense, shooting more than 40% from the field at the very least on Thursday night. If they can hit at least 37-40% of their three-pointers -- a tall task inside the Crisler Center and against a program that ranks second in the Big Ten in three-point percentage defense -- they would be in prime position for what could definitely be thought of as an upset.
What storylines are you most interested in? How do yo see the game playing out? Comment below!!!
