Michigan basketball shrugged a slow start to put away Penn State last time out. Can they continue their stifling defense against Indiana to remain unbeaten?
Matchup: Indiana Hoosiers (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) at Michigan Wolverines (13-0,, 3-0 Big Ten)
Date and time: Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV schedule: CBS
Location: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
The Wolverines come into Sunday’s game against Indiana ranked at No. 2 in the country and one of only four unbeaten teams left in the country. They have struggled in the first half of their last four games even though they have won each of them rather easily. Against Penn State, on Jan. 3, they shot just 34% in the first half in only scoring 25 points but still led by five as their defense completely shut down the Nittany Lions.
Michigan will be playing on just two days of rest after only playing one game a week for the last three weeks. This should help the Wolverines find more of a groove offensively then they have been in recently. The only player that has shot well through this stretch of games has been Jordan Poole, who continues to shoot near 50% from the outside. Ignas Brazdeikis has continued to score in bunches but he has gotten most of his points from driving to the basket.
Charles Matthews has struggled to shoot the ball and he is also getting most of his points inside. They will need more from him if they expect to continue to stay undefeated. Zavier Simpson has shot the ball better from three-point range, but he is still not much of a threat.
Indiana presents their biggest challenge since a road game at Northwestern and the Wolverines will need to be sharper than they have been lately if they want to come out with a win. Let’s take a look at three keys for the Wolverines to beat the 21st ranked Hoosiers on Sunday.