Michigan basketball: Hunter Dickinson is ready for another shot at Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Michigan basketball (14-10, 8-5 B1G) will play its biggest game of the season yet on Saturday afternoon with No. 18 Indiana (16-7, 8-5 B1G) coming to town (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). A win could put the Wolverines on the NCAA Tournament bubble for the stretch run of the season, which was unthinkable as recently as a week ago.
The biggest storyline of the game revolves around Michigan junior center Hunter Dickinson matching up with Indiana star center Trayce Jackson-Davis. The two are plenty familiar with each other’s game having met 3 times with Dickinson’s Wolverines holding a 2-1 advantage since 2021. Michigan and Indiana will play twice in the final 7 games of this season and are currently tied for 2nd place in the Big Ten.
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Dickinson has averaged 17.7 points and 7 rebounds in his three meetings against Indiana. Jackson-Davis has matched him with 17 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. These two have a tendency of bringing out each other’s A-game.
“I enjoy playing really great players because that usually brings out the best in me,” Dickinson told the media on Friday afternoon. “That’s why I decided to come to the Big Ten because I know that’s where the best bigs play. I feel like it’ll be a good test for me.
“You definitely do get a sense of joy out of playing teams over and over again because you really become comfortable with them. When you play teams like Michigan State and teams that you know really well, it’s funny when you know they’re running a play and you already know exactly what they’re trying to do and then vice versa when we’re trying to run a play. I’ve done a lot of scouting and watched a lot of film on Trayce, so I feel like I’m really comfortable with this game. I feel like I can say the same with all the other bigs that have been in the conference for more than one year.”
Michigan seeks to send a message
The Wolverines have had plenty of ups and downs this season as the young group learns how to win basketball games. They are currently in the midst of just their second three-game win streak of the season and first in conference play. But a chip still exists on Michigan’s shoulder that it is not getting the respect it thinks it deserves yet.
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“They’re saying how those three wins weren’t really that big,” Dickinson said. “And we’re finally playing, a worthy opponent [in Indiana]. This is definitely a game where we wanna make our stand and kind of put not only the league but the country on notice that we’re playing really good basketball right now and we’re trying to make a serious run at this thing.”
Michigan has been backed into a corner multiple times this season and talked about a sense of urgency. It seems there is an understanding in the room of how bleak the postseason situation might be. The Wolverines seem to have gotten the message.
“I think at this point in the season you can’t really afford to assume what people are thinking [in the locker room],” Dickinson said. “I think at this point, everything needs to be clearly stated and clearly put out there for everybody to know.
“With the hole that we’ve built, we can’t have any more of those [lapses]. Let’s talk about it and get better. The next day of practice, we gotta really just take every opportunity for what it’s worth.”
