Dre vs Burke - Burke is a superior ball handler and great play maker who can create his own shot and get to the rim. Dre is a superior shooter when on his game and perhaps a slightly better defender than Burke. Both are equally important to their team's offense. I think the homecourt advantage will give Dre a bit more energy and perhaps helps him earn a "PUSH" in this matchup.
Austin vs Hardaway - Hardaway is lanky, aggressive and a bit more polished than Austin...But Hollins is a better defender and a streaky shooter. Austin will need to stay in Hardaway's grill and get a hand in his face because THJ will let it fly from anywhere. Slight Edge for Hardaway.
Joe Coleman vs Stauskas - Stauskas was leading the entire free world in shooting...then the Big Ten season started and he's cooled off....Coming off his worst game vs OSU, we'll probably not be lucky enough to get an "oh-fer" from 6-6 freshman, but I would think his confidence is starting to wane. Meanwhile, Joe's confidence is growing with each game in the conference and he's playing quite well on both ends of the court. I expect Joe to out-play Stauskas here. EDGE to Coleman!
Rodney Williams vs GR3 - The Freshman has exceeded expectations in Ann Arbor and gotten himself into next year's NBA Lottery according to some publications. I'm not sold on his shooting, but he is smooth and athletic and a polished finisher. Rodney is a bit longer and more experienced and will have to be tougher to win this matchup. GR3 is uber-talented and capable of exploding. Coming off a poor game in Columbus, I fear GR3 will be Michigan's most effective player in this game. Rodney was decent in Bloomington on the defensive side of the ball, but his offense was mostly non-exisitent. EDGE to GR3.
Mbakwe vs Morgan/McGary - I included McGary in this matchup because I expect he'll play more than Morgan. Morgan is starting to lose minutes and I think Beilein is smart enough to realize that he'll need McGary's toughess and strength to keep Mbakwe from abusing Morgan. Morgan has put up decent rebounding numbers this season but he's not a threat to score and not a great defender. McGary is a horse and aggressive player. Not the most skilled scorer just yet, but he really impresses me whenever he comes on. Still he's not the athlete that Trevor is and with the home court advantage, Mbakwe has a HUGE EDGE in this matchup. The Gophers must use Trevor down low. Trevor must use all his low post moves and let Rodney crash the boards from the weakside.
Bench - Michigan has a slight edge in the bench play thanks to McGary but beyond him, there's not much to fear. Horton will play some minutes but he's not a huge threat. The freshman guard Spike-something or other was decent in the 1st half against OSU but he's not a real threat. The Gophers could really use some production from Eliason, Ingram and Welch. Julian is DUE!
Bold Prediction: Michigan comes out HOT this game and takes a 39-35 HT lead....The Gophers will have all they can do keep it a 4 point game at HT...Michigan has too many quality shooters and scorers to be cold for two straight games. In the 2nd half, they cool off just a bit and the Gophers ride the home court and loudest crowd since the 1998 season to win going away 84-72. Dre will put the game away at the FT line and finish with a game high 28 points. Mbakwe will have his first 20 point game of the season...20 and 12. Gophers improve to 4-1 in Conference play and 16-2 overall. Biggest win for Tubby with the Gophers!
Austin vs Hardaway - Hardaway is lanky, aggressive and a bit more polished than Austin...But Hollins is a better defender and a streaky shooter. Austin will need to stay in Hardaway's grill and get a hand in his face because THJ will let it fly from anywhere. Slight Edge for Hardaway.
Joe Coleman vs Stauskas - Stauskas was leading the entire free world in shooting...then the Big Ten season started and he's cooled off....Coming off his worst game vs OSU, we'll probably not be lucky enough to get an "oh-fer" from 6-6 freshman, but I would think his confidence is starting to wane. Meanwhile, Joe's confidence is growing with each game in the conference and he's playing quite well on both ends of the court. I expect Joe to out-play Stauskas here. EDGE to Coleman!
Rodney Williams vs GR3 - The Freshman has exceeded expectations in Ann Arbor and gotten himself into next year's NBA Lottery according to some publications. I'm not sold on his shooting, but he is smooth and athletic and a polished finisher. Rodney is a bit longer and more experienced and will have to be tougher to win this matchup. GR3 is uber-talented and capable of exploding. Coming off a poor game in Columbus, I fear GR3 will be Michigan's most effective player in this game. Rodney was decent in Bloomington on the defensive side of the ball, but his offense was mostly non-exisitent. EDGE to GR3.
Mbakwe vs Morgan/McGary - I included McGary in this matchup because I expect he'll play more than Morgan. Morgan is starting to lose minutes and I think Beilein is smart enough to realize that he'll need McGary's toughess and strength to keep Mbakwe from abusing Morgan. Morgan has put up decent rebounding numbers this season but he's not a threat to score and not a great defender. McGary is a horse and aggressive player. Not the most skilled scorer just yet, but he really impresses me whenever he comes on. Still he's not the athlete that Trevor is and with the home court advantage, Mbakwe has a HUGE EDGE in this matchup. The Gophers must use Trevor down low. Trevor must use all his low post moves and let Rodney crash the boards from the weakside.
Bench - Michigan has a slight edge in the bench play thanks to McGary but beyond him, there's not much to fear. Horton will play some minutes but he's not a huge threat. The freshman guard Spike-something or other was decent in the 1st half against OSU but he's not a real threat. The Gophers could really use some production from Eliason, Ingram and Welch. Julian is DUE!
Bold Prediction: Michigan comes out HOT this game and takes a 39-35 HT lead....The Gophers will have all they can do keep it a 4 point game at HT...Michigan has too many quality shooters and scorers to be cold for two straight games. In the 2nd half, they cool off just a bit and the Gophers ride the home court and loudest crowd since the 1998 season to win going away 84-72. Dre will put the game away at the FT line and finish with a game high 28 points. Mbakwe will have his first 20 point game of the season...20 and 12. Gophers improve to 4-1 in Conference play and 16-2 overall. Biggest win for Tubby with the Gophers!
