Indiana vs Michigan: 2022-23 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Another high-impact Big Ten battle sees Indiana head to Michigan; can the Hoosiers win a third consecutive game or do the Wolverines finally get on track with a big win?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 11, 6:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Indiana (17-7) has to be feeling great coming into this weekend, with consecutive wins over #1 Purdue and a ranked Rutgers squad that was ahead of them in the conference standings. The Hoosiers have now won seven of eight games and are playing much better ball than a month ago. While they do have road wins over Illinois and Xavier, everyone knows that playing on the road is a different animal.
The clear player to watch at Indiana is senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (19.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg), who just had 20 points and 18 rebounds in the win over Rutgers, one of his most impactful performances of the year. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (12.2 ppg, 4.2 apg) has played solid ball in these last two victories and keys a young backcourt. A slew of talented players fill out the Hoosiers’ lineup, with senior forward Miller Kopp (8.3 ppg) among the most experienced and talented.
The Hoosiers sit #18 in the AP Top 25 and will likely go up after their win over Rutgers earlier this week. They’re also at 21st in KenPom and 20th in the NET, sitting right around those Scarlet Knights in both metrics. This Hoosiers squad does impressive work down low but can also hit their outside shots, with Kopp sitting just under 46% from the 3 this year.
It’s been a rough season for Michigan (14-10) but things are getting better at the right time. The Wolverines are now 8-5 in Big Ten play and have won three straight games. They had struggled away from home for most of the season, though a recent double-digit win at Northwestern certainly gave them some confidence. Can they secure a fourth straight win and legitimize their run in the Big Ten standings?
Michigan also has one clear player to watch and that’s junior center Hunter Dickinson (18.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg). He recently scored 26 points in a win over Ohio State and is a major reason that the Wolverines are hanging around at all this season. Another major factor has been the play of freshman guard Jett Howard (14.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg), whose 22-point effort led the way in their most recent victory. The third major piece on offense is sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg), who has had a much more significant role in his second season with the Wolverines.
Unranked and unheralded, Michigan is sitting at 52nd in KenPom and 64th in the NET. With their record and standing in the metrics, Michigan has significant work ahead to make it to the NCAA Tournament. This was a bubble team last season that made their way to the Sweet Sixteen and they’ll need to lean heavily on the dominant play of Dickinson down low. It’s interesting to note that Michigan ranks closer to the bottom of the nation in offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers, meaning their offense doesn’t get a lot of extra chances with the ball.
The matchup between Jackson-Davis and Dickinson is something that we’ve been waiting all season to see. Michigan has clearly underachieved this season and hasn’t surrounded Dickinson with adequate talent, though the injury to Jaelin Llewellyn still stings two months later. The Hoosiers are playing significantly more impressive basketball recently, but their two big wins have come at Assembly Hall; can they play at the same level on the road just a week after stumbling at Maryland?
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Earning this win would be huge for Michigan’s hopes and would also propel them ahead of the Hoosiers in the conference standings. Whoever wins that battle between these talented big men will clearly have an edge in this game. An underrated factor may be the play of Hood-Schifino, who was abysmal at Maryland but has been impressive in their two recent wins. Expect a close battle but for the Hoosiers to keep their streak alive with another impressive performance away from home.