Preview and prediction: Michigan basketball vs. Seton Hall
Michigan basketball (2-0) is set to host Seton Hall (2-0) in the Gavitt Tipoff Games Tuesday night at Crisler Center.
No. 4 Michigan took down MAC-favorite Buffalo to open the campaign last Wednesday, 88-76, before dismantling Prairie View A&M Saturday in Washington D.C. by a final score of 77-49. Meanwhile, the Pirates received seven votes in this week’s AP poll, after blowing out its first two opponents, Farleigh Dickinson (93-49) and Yale (80-44).
The two teams have met twice, with Michigan winning both matchups. Most notably, the Wolverines knocked off Seton Hall in the 1989 national championship game, marking the program’s first and only NCAA title.
Here is everything you need to know before the game, including basic information, a breakdown of each team’s key players and analysis on what to watch for.
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Game Information: Michigan vs. Seton Hall
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021
Time: 9:07 p.m. ET
Venue: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Channel: Fox Sports 1
On The Call: Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery
Radio: Detroit: WWJ-Radio (950 AM) | Ann Arbor: WWWW (102.9 FM)| Grand Rapids: WOOD (106.9 FM) | Stream: MGoBlue.com
On The Call: Brian Boesch (play-by-play) and Terry Mills (color)
Betting Line: Michigan -9, over/under 138.5
Kenpom Prediction: Michigan 76, Seton Hall 65 (84 percent chance of victory)
Clayton Sayfie Prediction: Michigan 72, Seton Hall 69
Michigan Projected Starters
• #12 – Fifth-year senior guard DeVante’ Jones (6-1, 200) — The Coastal Carolina transfer and reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year is averaging 8.5 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 1-of-2 from long range.
• #55 – Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks (6-1, 185) — The team captain is recording 13 points, three rebounds and three assists per contest, while shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep.
• #22 – Freshman guard/forward Caleb Houstan (6-8, 205) — The former five-star recruit scored 11 and 12 in his two appearances, respectively, and has added 4.5 rebounds and one assist per game … He’s shooting 52.9 percent overall and 5-of-12 from long range.
• #23 – Junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. (6-8, 240) — Posting 3.5 points, four rebounds and one assist per outing, while making just two of his eight attempts from the field.
• #1 – Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 260) — The 2021 second-team All-American went off for 27 points against Buffalo, before pouring in 11 points versus Prairie View A&M … He’s averaging a team-high eight rebounds per game, while shooting 64.0 percent from the field.
Key Bench Contributors
• #14 – Freshman forward Moussa Diabate (6-11, 210) — Playing 15.5 minutes per game off the bench and averaging 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
• #5 – Sophomore forward Terrance Williams II (6-7, 230) — Posted career highs in points (15), rebounds (seven) and minutes (29) while helping lift Michigan to victory against Buffalo … Recorded eight points and six rebounds against Prairie View A&M.
• #2 – Freshman guard Kobe Bufkin (6-4, 175) — Played just four minutes in the opener and went 0-of-1 from the field, but followed that up with an eight-point, four-rebound performance in the next contest, playing 17 minutes.
Seton Hall Projected Starters
• #0 – Sophomore guard Kadary Richmond (6-6, 200) — The Syracuse transfer is averaging 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and two assists per game, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field (0-for-2 on three-pointers).
• #15 – Fifth-year senior guard Jamir Harris (6-2, 195) — The Minnesota and American University transfer is posting 9.5 points per contest, while shooting 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from the field and 6-of-12 (50 percent) from long range.
• #22 – Fifth-year senior guard/forward Myles Cale (6-6, 210) — Notching 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, while splashing 47.4 percent of his shots from the field and 50 percent (3-of-6) from deep … Draws 7.3 fouls per 40 minutes … Has six steals.
• #10 – Senior forward Alexis Yetna (6-8, 225) — The South Florida transfer is recording 11 points, 3.5 rebounds and one assist per outing, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from long range (4-of-7).
• #21 – Fifth-year senior center Ike Obiagu (7-2, 265) — Averaging two points, four rebounds and four blocks per contest, while shooting 50 percent from the field (2-of-4).
Key Bench Contributors
• #1 – Sixth-year senior guard Bryce Aiken (6-0, 180) — After dealing with injuries much of last season, the Harvard transfer who considered Michigan is healthy and averaging 12 points, two rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest in 19 minutes … Hit five of his seven three-point attempts … Produced 1.75 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler.
• #14 – Senior guard/forward Jared Rhoden (6-6, 210) — Missed the opener but was good to go against Yale, scoring eight points and adding 10 rebounds … He had four turnovers … Averaged 14.9 points per contest last season.
• #2 – Junior forward Tray Jackson (6-10, 210) — The Missouri transfer is posting 9.5 points and six rebounds per outing, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 1-of-6 from long range.
• #4 – Junior forward Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 230) — In 23.5 minutes per contest, he’s averaging 14 points 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, while shooting 50 percent from the field.
What To Watch For: Michigan vs. Seton Hall
• Seton Hall made four-straight NCAA Tournaments from 2016-19, before winning the Big East regular-season title in 2020 and not having an NCAA Tournament. The Pirates missed the field last year, posting a 14-13 record.
• The Pirates have no shortage of experience on their transfer-filled roster, with their players averaging 2.36 years in college, according to Kenpom. Eight of Seton Hall’s top nine contributors are at least juniors, including four fifth- or sixth-year seniors.
• This will also be a matchup of two teams with a lot of height. Michigan is the sixth-tallest team in America, according to Kenpom, while Seton Hall checks in at No. 8. The Pirates have more size than Michigan at three of the five starting positions, though, including a 7-2 starting center in Obiagu.
• That could pose some problems. An athletic team that can switch ball screens, Seton Hall will likely make the Wolverines win one-on-one battles to score buckets. And things may not come easy for Dickinson, who scored 27 points against Buffalo’s undersized bigs, on the inside. Albeit against much lighter competition, Seton Hall has faced post-ups on seven occasions this season, allowing zero points and double teaming just once, per Synergy. The Pirates lead the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage (28.2), rank third in three-point defense (11.1 percent) and 12th in two-point defense (34.6). They block 17.3 percent of opposing teams’ shots.
Michigan runs the pick-and-roll on 14.4 percent of its plays, but Seton Hall has yielded just 0.469 points per possession in those situations. Michigan’s offense has been in spot-up situations on 24.7 percent of its possessions, but Seton Hall is in the 99th percentile nationally against spot-ups (0.354 points per possession). Something will have to give when both teams face their toughest opponent to date.
• Seton Hall’s size is not just in the frontcourt. Richmond is a dangerous weapon offensively, and he’s got at least five inches on both of the Wolverines’ starting guards, making for a tough matchup. He runs 30.3 percent of the team’s ball screens and generates 0.909 points per play when doing so. Not known as a three-point shooter, Richmond gets down hill and can pull up from mid-range or get to the rack.
• Seton Hall’s most common way of scoring has been in transition (56 points), and while Michigan hasn’t been as good as it wants to be when defending the fast break, it’s (highly) unlikely the Pirates will get the kind of opportunities they’ve gotten in their first two games. Half-court offense hasn’t come as easy for Seton Hall, even with the Pirates shooting 43.8 percent from long range. We don’t predict a ton of scoring, and the Pirates might have to hold Michigan to under 70 points or so to win.
