Michigan prepares for rematch against in-state rival Michigan State
Michigan comes in 15-12 overall, and 9-8 in conference play. The Wolverines come off of a tough loss against Illinois, losing 93-85 in a shootout. In the recent NET rankings, Michigan sits at 37th but was able to pick up another Quad 1 win over the weekend. San Diego St has done fairly well, and the Michigan home win earlier this season has upgraded from a Quad 2 to a Quad 1. Michigan now has four Quad 1 victories and are now 6-11 in Quad 1 and 2 games. The loss against Illinois does not put Michigan out of the tournament, but it puts Michigan in a “must-win” spot. In my opinion, Michigan must go 2-1 over their next three games and one win in the Big Ten tournament to have a chance of an at-large bid. Nobody put Michigan in this situation except Michigan themselves. A poor showing in the non conference and slow forming growth/chemistry is why Michigan is squarely on the bubble, and not competing for a championship.
Michigan State comes in 19-9 overall, and 10-7 in conference play. The Spartans are coming off of their best win of the season by beating the Purdue Boilermakers in dramatic fashion. Despite their big win, Michigan State has lost five of their last seven games. Their last road victory was at Maryland a month ago. Even though they have struggled in recent games, they came ready to play against Purdue and they will be ready to play against Michigan.
Popular Michigan twitter account, Scott Bell, pointed out the last seven Michigan games played on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday have ended up as Michigan wins. If Michigan loses on Tuesday night to Michigan State, you can 100% blame me for putting light on this.
Michigan vs Michigan State Statistical Overview
Pace: Michigan State averages 70 possessions per game, ranking 192nd in the country.
Pick & Roll – Roll Man: When MSU utilizes the roll man in pick and roll situations, they score 1.276 points per possession (PPP). This ranks 14th nationally.
Pick & Roll – Ballhandler Passing Out: When MSU is in the pick and roll and the defense commits, forcing a pass out, they score on 1.039 PPP. This ranks 4th nationally.
Team Offensive Efficiency: MSU scores on 1.030 PPP, ranking 107th nationally.
Team Defensive Efficiency: MSU allows 0.96 PPP, ranking 91st nationally.
Michigan State Backcourt
#11 AJ Hoggard: Hoggard is a 6’3″ 215 pound guard out of Pennsylvania. He averages 6.8 points and 5.2 assists on 41.3% shooting from the floor. During conference play alone, he is averaging 5.4 assists per game which is ranked 2nd in the Big Ten. In the first game, Hoggard abused the pick and roll matchup, shredding the Michigan defense throughout the entire game. (Last Game vs Michigan: 11 points and 10 assists)
#2 Tyson Walker: Walker is a 6’0″ 170 pound Northeastern guard transfer out of New York. He is averaging 8.1 points and 4.3 assists on 43.6% shooting from the floor and 56.6% shooting from the 3pt line. In recent games he has been more aggressive, looking for his shot more off the dribble. He hit the big go ahead shot to beat Purdue, but also had a scoring outburst of 26 points at Illinois. (Last Game vs Michigan: Seven points and three turnovers)
#3 Jaden Akins: Akins is a 6’4″ 180 pound guard out of Farmington, Michigan. He averages 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He plays 14 minutes per game but provides a spark off the bench when the team seems a bit flat. (Last Game vs Michigan: three rebounds and one assist)
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Big Guards/Wings
#5 Max Christie: Christie is a 6’6″ 190 pound guard out of Illinois. He averages 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds on 38% shooting from the field and 31.4% shooting from 3pt range. Despite his inefficient numbers, he is a great shooter and dangerous threat on the basketball court. In the eight games since the first matchup against Michigan, Christie is averaging 7.6 points while shooting 31.4% from the floor and 16% from the 3pt line. Teams have done a good job making Christie work for his shots. Michigan should consider the numbers but still guard him like a lethal shooter. (Last Game vs Michigan: 16 points and three rebounds)
#44 Gabe Brown: Brown is a 6’7″ 210 pound wing out of Ypsilanti. He leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game on 40% shooting from the field and 35.9% from the 3pt line. Brown has been a very streaky player. It seems like he is either all the way dialed in, or he is non existent. Since the first Michigan game, Brown has played in eight games. Of those eight games, he has scored a combined 24 points in six of them. In the other two games, he scored 33 points combined. He is a quick starter, so if he sees his first couple of shots go in, he is ready to play. If Gabe misses his first couple, then he usually has an off game. (Last Game vs Michigan: Nine points and four rebounds)
#25 Malik Hall: Hall is a 6’7″ 225 pound forward out of Illinois. He averages 9.8 points on 54.2% shooting from the floor and 49.1% from the 3pt line. Hall is a really good player, but I never know how aggressive he will be from game to game. In three of the last four games, he attempted four shots or less. In the one game, he shot 13 times and scored 17 points. When Hall is aggressive, he is one of the tougher combo forwards in the conference. (Last Game vs Michigan: 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals)
Big Forwards/Centers
#30 Marcus Bingham: Bingham is a 7’0 220 pound big man out of Grand Rapids. He is averaging 8.9 points, six rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game on 54.7% shooting and going 36% from the 3pt line. His playing time has decreased in recent games, playing 13 minutes in four of the last five games. Bingham’s 2.3 blocks ranks 32nd in the country and 3rd in the Big Ten. (Last Game vs Michigan: Four points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and two steals)
#10 Joey Hauser: Hauser is a 6’9″ 230 pound forward out of Wisconsin. He is averaging seven points and 5.5 rebounds on 43.8 shooting from the floor and 40.5% from the 3pt line. Hauser plays mostly at the power forward spot but at times will play as a small ball center to add more versatility. He has played about 17 minutes in his last two games and has averaged five points. He has been a good spot up shooter and post defender for Michigan State. (Last Game vs Michigan: 14 points, two rebounds, and two steals)
#34 Julius Marble: Marble is a 6’9″ 245 pound forward out of Texas. He averages 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds on 64.6% shooting from the floor. Part of why Marcus Bingham has played less is the emergence of Marble as a dependable asset. Marble does not possess Bingham’s defensive prowess but he holds his own on that end while giving more offensively. In the last four games, Marble has had his best Big Ten stretch, averaging 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds on 73.1% shooting per game. (Last Game vs Michigan: Four points and three rebounds)
