Michigan Basketball: Why Wolverines will be better than Michigan State in 2020-21

2020 Recruiting Classes

No Big Ten team recruited nearly as effectively as the Wolverines for this year, as they clock in with the conference’s highest ranked class and 13th nationwide. Highlighting the pack comes Monteverde Academy product Zeb Jackson, who possesses an exceptional pull-up jump shot for someone his age while also maintaining the potential to serve as a solid defender at the wing position thanks to his 6’2 extent. Behind Eli Brooks, watch for him to serve as a spark plug off the bench.

Down low, Hunter Dickinson carries all the necessary traits to serve as an effective big man. Stretching out beyond seven feet while remaining equipped with an impressively soft touch around the rim, expect Dickinson to immediately seize the center spot vacated by Teske and make a noticeable impact even as a freshmen. Rounding out the group comes four-star forward Terrance Williams and three-star forward Jace Howard.

Although ranked below Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, and even Rutgers, the Spartans managed to reel in two four-stars, center Maddy Sissoko and guard AJ Hoggard. Last year, Michigan State lacked a true big, so Tom Izzo might look to patch things up by thrusting Sissoko into the lineup early on, while Haggard most likely awaits a similar role with the guard spot now lacking two solid players from the year prior.

While both these players possess some noteworthy upside, they simply lack undeniably abundant talent which Michigan brings with their “core four.” Once matching up each team’s incoming center, Michigan State’s Dickinson holds three inches over Sissoko while packing on some extra muscle as well, opening the door for him to play bully-ball inside and outplay his fellow freshmen opponent during head to head matchups. Sissoko may hold an advantage over Dickinson once considering speed and raw athleticism, but his overall under-developed post play in comparison to Dickinson’s takes a larger precedent especially once considering his status as a freshmen and the likely limited offensive game planning set to his preferences.

Likely to run the point with Rocky Watts, Hoggard might give the Wolverines more trouble due to his quick step on the drive, three-point shooting, and exceptional court vision. But beyond his presence beside Watts, the Spartans lack any real depth at the guard spot, whereas Jackson and Michigan’s multiple returning guards, combined with transfer Chaundee Brown, seem destined to compliment each other by more substantial levels, leading to a less stressful and exhaustive opportunity for Jackson to thrive within.

Also once considering Michigan State’s more extravagant holes especially from Winston’s departure, a player who comes around once every 20 years, this depth presented within Michigan’s recruiting class and absent from Michigan State’s really becomes a highly influential factor, clearly tipping Michigan’s way.