For Michigan basketballthe recent trip to the west coast went as well as expected.
The No. 24 Wolverines (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) posted two double-digit victories against Los Angeles-based Big Ten teams — edging USC, 85-74, last Saturday, then beating No. °21. UCLA, 94-75, Tuesday night as wildfires raged just miles away — and now return home with hopes of making it three straight wins against league newcomers, hosting Washington (10-6 , 1-4) in Ann Arbor Sunday afternoon (2 p.m., Big Ten Network).
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The Huskies’ first trip to the Midwest didn’t start well; They were swept by Michigan State in East Lansing, 88-54, on Thursday. UW trailed by 29 points at halftime (42-13) and by more than 40 points in the second half (82-41 with less than five minutes to play) in total annihilation.
After two close conference wins – by three points over Wisconsin and two over Iowa – UM has won four straight double-digit games and could make it five in a row, with one of the Big Ten’s last teams coming to town .
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Big Osobor with not so big help
U-Dub forward Great Osobor made headlines this offseason when he traded from Utah State to Washington (after head coach Danny Sprinkle) for a then-record NIL contract. worth $2 million.
Apparently money can’t buy wins, because while Osobor has been decent, it hasn’t been enough for the Huskies.
The senior leads the Huskies in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4), but his efficiency has dropped sharply, as he shot just 45 percent from the floor in 3s after hit at least 57.7% on each of his first shots. three college seasons. Part of this could be due to his increased number of 3-point attempts: after attempting just 18 3-point tries (and making four, for a 22.2% success rate) in his first 104 games , he has 14 3-point attempts in 16 games this season (with only two marks, a rate of 15.3%). More concerning is his 2-point shooting percentage: after hitting 59.1% last season, he’s at 47.7% inside the arc this season.
He scored in double figures in 11 games with the Huskies, although much of his success came in a weak non-conference schedule. Although he had 20 points and 14 rebounds against Maryland, he had only nine points and three rebounds against USC and a combined 15 points and eight rebounds against Illinois and MSU.
Second-year guard Tyler Harris (Portland) is next at 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while freshman point guard Zoom Diallo, a top-50 recruit according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, scores in averaged 10.8 points per game for Sprinkle’s team.
Overall, U-Dub just isn’t up to Big Ten standards. On defense, the Huskies are No. 7 nationally in 3-point shot limitation (28%) and No. 69 in efficiency (99.9), according to KenPom, but on offense, the Huskies are No. 149 for efficiency (107.4), n°3. 201 in 2-point shooting (50.1%) and No. 240 in 3s (32%).
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Depth displayed
The Wolverines, meanwhile, continue to show depth and balance in every passing game.
Michigan just beat UCLA by 19 on the road and did it by scoring 94 points (the most a Mick Cronin team has Never allowed at home) without perhaps its most tested guard: Roddy Gayle Jr. (knee bruise) missed Tuesday’s game against the Bruins. UM coach Dusty May said it was too early to say then whether he would play Sunday.
“Long-term health is the No. 1 priority for us,” May said. “But I would say he’ll be back relatively soon.”
Gayle is one of five UM players scoring in double figures in May during his first season in Ann Arbor. After scoring a career-high 36 points against the Bruins, center Vlad Goldin now leads the Wolverines with 15.8 points per game. Point guard Tre Donaldson (13.1 points) is next while Goldin’s frontcourt partner Danny Wolf is averaging a double-double at 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
All three had remarkable matches on the trip; Wolf started Los Angeles’ double dip, becoming the third NCAA player in more than 20 years with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks, and Donaldson made a career-high four shots made 3-pointers against USC, then dominated with six against UCLA.
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And then there’s Gayle (12.4 points) and Nimari Burnett (10.5 points), who both shoot over 50% from the floor. Every starter has led the team in scoring at least once this season, a major reason UM leads the nation in 2-point shooting (62%) and field goal percentage (60 .2%).
“I mean the numbers don’t lie,” Donaldson said. “We’re shooting over 60 percent inside the arc, I mean, we’re still doing that. We’ve got some big guys here… with Danny doing what he does inside and outside. It’s hard to keep. No one has seen anything like this before.
Michigan vs. Washington Basketball Prediction
The Wolverines’ prospects are a far cry from a year ago, when UM was often on the wrong side of the talent and coaching ledger. UM is better than Washington in every area. As long as the Wolverines don’t have a horrible shooting night or commit a huge number of turnovers (they’re 16th nationally, at 15.2 per game), they simply have too much talent and depth for U-Dub slows down. The choice: UM 88, Washington 68.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on @RealTonyGarcia.
This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs. Washington Basketball Scouting Report, Prediction
