Rutgers vs Michigan: 2023 Big Ten Tournament game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
The second round of the Big Ten Tournament sees two teams really needing resume-boosting wins; can Rutgers get back on track or can Michigan save their postseason dreams?
TV schedule: Thursday, March 9, 12:00 pm ET. BTN
Arena: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
Despite losing two foundation players last season, Rutgers (18-13) will look to be in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, a phenomenal feat for Steve Pikiell and his squad this season. Different pieces have excelled this season, evident when these Scarlet Knights won at Purdue two months ago. Now, they’ve lost six of their last eight games and need a good performance in the conference tournament to affirm their spot in the Big Dance.
The play of junior center Clifford Omoruyi (13.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) has been important, as he’s both leading scorer and rebounder for the Scarlet Knights. Senior guard Cam Spencer (12.7 ppg) has fit in well this season after three years at Loyola-Maryland. Senior guard Caleb McConnell (9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg) is one of the best defenders in the nation while fellow senior Paul Mulcahy (8.2 ppg, 4.9 apg) is an important cog in running the show for this team.
Earlier in the season, Rutgers was ranked in the AP Poll, but their recent stretch has watched them sink in the metrics, sitting at 42nd in KenPom and 41st in the most recent NET rankings. The Scarlet Knights boast one of the most efficient defenses in the nation, though their offense has let them down at times, scoring just 53 points in their final regular season game, and just 45 against Michigan two weeks ago.
Speaking of which, Michigan (17-14) needs to make a move at the Big Ten Tournament to secure its place in the Big Dance. Winning this second-round game over Rutgers might not be enough for a team that’s been inconsistent this season and has come up short time and time again in bigtime games.
The one player you can definitely count on showing up is junior center Hunter Dickinson (18.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg), who’s been great down the stretch, with 78 total points in Michigan’s last three games of the year. Freshman guard Jett Howard (14.5 ppg) has been a key scorer on his father’s team, including a 34-point effort earlier in the season at Iowa. Another name to watch is sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin (13.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg), another young piece in the backcourt who can put up points and play well on both sides of the court.
The Wolverines sit just 54 in the NET, though they’re faring a bit better at 38th on KenPom. They’re sitting outside the Tournament field as a result. They don’t force turnovers, they don’t shoot the ball extraordinarily well. If they’re going to make a run in Chicago, they’ll need Dickinson to perform and for these young guards to finally hold up against some top-level competition.
Does it matter at all that Michigan won the only previous matchup less than two weeks ago? Rutgers had a terrible offensive performance, and neither team has exactly been brimming with confidence in recent weeks. The Wolverines have the better offense, but shutdown defense is going to be the key if the Scarlet Knights make noise in this tournament.
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You can expect a few things from this matchup. You’ll see McConnell help to shut down some of those young guards on the Wolverines, but you won’t see them completely contain Dickinson, who’s been on a tear recently. After falling in overtime on the road at both Illinois and Indiana last week, Michigan gets the job done this time, setting themselves up for a huge one in the quarterfinals against Purdue, while Rutgers sits and waits and hopes at home.