Michigan Basketball: 2020-21 keys for Wolverines to win at Purdue Boilermakers
By Adam Childs
2. Make Williams beat you by himself
Trevion Williams has played great in the Big Ten this year as he has scored in double-digits in each game and had three double-digit rebound games. He is a force down low and will be tough for the Wolverines to stop.
While he might be tough to stop he isn’t impossible and the Wolverines need to do it without double-teaming. The Boilermakers aren’t the best three-point shooting team, but they have the ability to get hot and go on runs.
The Wolverines need to force Williams to try and win the game by himself. He is good down low but isn’t a threat from outside, so giving up two points from Williams is better than letting the other guys get in a groove from deep.
Williams has shown he can put up big numbers against Michigan, as he went for over 30 in their first meeting last year when the Boilermakers took the Wolverines to double-overtime. It was one of the best games in the Big Ten last year and Williams almost won the game for them.
Coach Juwan Howard isn’t big on doubling the big guys down low, so he will probably continue to take that approach and I think it is the right one.
Dickinson and Austin Davis are good enough defenders to slow Williams down enough, that they don’t need to double down. The only thing they need to make sure they do is to not get in foul trouble.
If the Wolverines can keep the supporting cast from getting hot from the outside they should be able to win the game. But if Williams goes off and they allow the other guys to pitch in, it could be a long night.