Nebrasketball: No. 25 Michigan Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Over-rated Michigan Wolverines Preview

Date: Thursday, March 5th

Time: 5:30 pm CST/6:30 pm EST

Location: Bird House (aka Crisler Center)

2019-20 Record: 18-11 (9-9, 9th in standings)

Mascot: Totaled SUV’s driven by false names, but that’s not a crime worth prosecuting apparently.

Head Coach: Juwan Howard 1st season (College career record mostly vacated due to his team’s cheating)

How To Watch: FS1
Radio: TuneIn

Current Season:

Since they last met in January, Michigan has managed to go 6-3 in that time span, playing themselves back into the upper-tier of the bottom half of the conference. Sadly, they are no longer a bubble team, but rather a clear lock for a bid to the NCAA tournament with a net ranking on Monday of 24. My previous preview of Michigan that was more than fair in my critique of their lackluster performance at the time solicited this response by the way:
“I know everyone is jealous of Michigan, but this is ridiculous! Nebraska, unlike other Big schools, is an afterthought, especially academically. Sports: nothing there either, should have stayed in Big 12, or whatever they were in.” A real Michigan degree at work there, don’t you think? Congratulations on your current 9th place ranking there Wolverines.

Zavier Simpson and Isaiah Livers lead the varmints in scoring with their 13 points per game average. Livers is also shooting 42.7 percent from three on 89 attempts this season, while Simpson leads the team in assists at 7.9 per game. Meanwhile, freshman Franz Wagner is second in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game, and is fourth in scoring with 11.4 points while shooting 31.7 percent from three. He also won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors last week after after averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three point range in their games last week, including yet another loss to Ohio State.

Michigan’s defense is based around limiting an opponent’s three point attempts, and they are typically effective at this as they are holding opponents this season to just 28.2 percent of shot attempts being behind the line. That is eighth best in the country. However, their last two opponents have hit 11 three-point attempts each, and Nebraska is fifth in the conference for three point attempts, averaging 40.4 percent of overall attempts in games this season. Also good to keep in mind is the fact the Huskers shot 9-for-21 from three in the last match-up, good for 42.9 percent overall. Nebraska will need to shoot just as well from outside to have a chance in this one.

Prediction

I’m going to go ahead and just reuse my score prediction from the last game because I hate those jerks from Ann Arbor and they don’t deserve any fresh takes. Huskers 82-Yellow Rodent scUM 54