Michigan Basketball returns home to take on South Carolina on Saturday after a tough road game at Northwestern on Tuesday. Can they fend off the Gamecocks and remain unbeaten?
Matchup: South Carolina Gamecocks (4-4) at Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
Date and time: Saturday, Dec. 8 at 12:00 p.m. ET
TV schedule: FS1
Location: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan is coming off a tough two-point win on Tuesday at Northwestern. It was the first time all year that the Wolverines had a close game. After being up by as many as 15 early in the second half, the Wildcats made a run and actually led by three before Michigan hit back to back threes to stop the run. The win moved Michigan to 2-0 in Big Ten play and 9-0 overall. That quick start has allowed the Wolverines to move up to number five in the latest polls.
On Saturday the Wolverines host a struggling South Carolina team. Two years removed from their first ever final four run, the Gamecocks are not even close to the same team. They are just 4-4 on the year and are coming off a tough loss to Wyoming on Wednesday night. South Carolina also has losses to Stony Brook and Wofford. Not exactly the start the Gamecocks were hoping for.
These two teams could have met in the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off tournament in November, but South Carolina lost to Providence and Michigan beat George Washington. The Wolverines would go on to easily beat the Friars in the championship, while South Carolina did pick up third place by beating GW.
On paper, Michigan is the far superior team and ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Wolverines a 93.7% chance to win the game. So what do the Wolverines need to continue to stay unbeaten? We take a look.