O’Connor: Five keys to Michigan-Indiana
ISL’s Collin O’Connor lists five keys to tonight’s Michigan-Indiana showdown.
1. Shutdown corner
Indiana’s Victor Oladipo has been, up to this point, one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. That can become very critical on Saturday night against Michigan’s potent offensive attack, especially from the wing. Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Stauskas are all averaging over 12 points per game from the back court, and stopping, or at least containing, those players will be pivotal.
Much has been said about who Oladipo will be guarding when the game tips off, and it will probably be a bit of a rotation, but Hardaway may be the best option here. Matched up against Oladipo last season, Hardaway shot just 11-33 from the field in two games against the Hoosiers. While he has improved his outside shooting this season, going up against Oladipo has been a struggle for anyone in the country this season, including Butler’s Rotnei Clarke, who finished 7-19 from the field with Indiana’s best defender on him.
If this happens again on Saturday, that will make containing this offense a much more feasible task. That still leaves Burke, Stauskas and Robinson III to pay attention to, though, but those are tasks all on their own.
2. Get out in transition
With Michigan’s up-tempo offense, this game plans to looks to be one with a quick pace, but Indiana is going to have to find opportunities to run off of Michigan’s offense. That may be difficult due to the fact that Michigan simply does not turn the ball over.
Finishing a win over Northwestern with just two turnovers on the night, the Wolverines team showcased the fact that this team very rarely beats itself. That may be a key point in this game because of the way that Indiana feeds off of turnovers, allowing them to get out in transition.
It’s no question, however, that Michigan likes to pull the trigger from beyond the arc. If Indiana can defend the perimeter well on Saturday night, those misses can turn into easy transition baskets the other way. A 3-point miss, a lot of times, results in a long rebound, allowing the defending team to get out into transition for easy baskets.
3. Win the glass
Indiana is second in the Big Ten in rebounding percentage, and that can be a huge advantage for the Hoosiers tonight. Indiana needs to exploit the fact that Michigan’s Jordan Morgan will be out or limited tonight. Indiana native Mitch McGary, a freshman, may play an even bigger role tonight filling in for Morgan.
In its win over Purdue this week, Indiana outrebounded Purdue by 11 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. If that is the case again tonight, it will be very difficult for UM to knock the Hoosiers off.
4. Beat the 1-3-1
It’s been a trademark of John Beilein’s tenure at Michigan, and Indiana will most likely see it again today. While it may not be used much in the game plan because of Indiana’s ability to stretch a zone defense, it still may be effective.
In its game at Northwestern, Indiana held a huge lead until Northwestern went into a similar zone in the second half, allowing the Wildcats to get back into the game. As this game looks to be a very high scoring one, the Hoosiers won’t be able to go for long stretches at a time without scoring like they did in Evanston.
Indiana point guard Yogi Ferrell will play a large part in finding ways to penetrate the zone. He has been so effective in doing so this season. Getting into the middle of the zone will allow for shooters to be open after the collapse of the defense. Whether he, or any other player on the wing, will be able to get in there will be the key to scoring when Michigan goes to its 1-3-1 zone defense.
5. Feed off the atmosphere
College Gameday from ESPN is there. The No. 1 team in the country is there. Primetime scheduled game on ESPN. This is a big stage, and Indiana’s fans are behind the team every step of the way. With just two losses in its last 33 home games, this is definitely a big advantage for the Hoosiers. They need every possible advantage to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation.
Indiana cannot let Michigan come into Assembly Hall and get off to a great start to quiet the crowd. If Indiana can start taking control of the game from the tip, the atmosphere in there will wreak havoc. One just simply has to go back and look, or listen, to the Kentucky game last season, when the Wildcats were ranked first in the country. That type of crowd and noise will definitely be in the building tonight, and that can only help Indiana as the Hoosiers look to deliver a win in front of the largest student section in the nation.
