Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Predicting The Outcome Of Michigan vs. Minnesota

The Wolverine's Clayton Sayfie joined The Gopher Report's Connor Stevens for an information-packed Q&A ahead of Michigan Wolverines basketball's matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, including a final score prediction and more.

Read the Q&A discussion below.

TGR: Michigan has been one of the best offensive teams in the country this year in terms of shooting. Their eFG% is 9th in the country, they make over 60% of their two-point shots, they're making over 36% from three, and they are a top-25 free throw shooting team in terms of percentage. All of these stats are a major jump from last year in those categories. What's been the biggest change offensively with this year's Wolverine team?

Clayton Sayfie: First off, I would just point out how impressive it is that Michigan is actually a more efficient offensive team than it was last year, considering the Wolverines lost point guard Zavier Simpson, who had the most assists in the country last year, and two-year starting big man Jon Teske, while bringing in new faces in two transfer guards and freshman center Hunter Dickinson.

Columbia grad transfer Mike Smith, who was known for his scoring at Columbia and led the Ivy League in points per game last season (22.8), has done a great job being a facilitator, averaging 5.3 helpers per outing. Then, there is continuity at the two-guard spot with senior Eli Brooks, who is a streaky shooter, and on the wings with sophomore Franz Wagner and senior Isaiah Livers, with the former being a slasher and the latter being an elite three-point shooter.

But really, the biggest difference is Michigan's ability to throw it into the post and get buckets with Dickinson, who is one of the best big men in the league already and one of the top freshmen in the country. He's a great passer out of the post, which is rare for a first-year guy (or any big man), and that gives opposing defenses fits. If you double him, he can find the open guy. I can't wait for the matchup with Liam Robbins tonight, because I believe it'll be a lot of one-on-one coverage.

TGR: I remember seeing Hunter Dickinson in high school and thinking he was a stud, but I don't think I expected this from him so soon. Talk about his game, was this expected, and the sustainability of this high level of play?

CS: Hunter Dickinson was expected to be very good ... in time. It surprised everyone — and I mean everyone — on how good he is already. During the summer, we had heard word that he'd likely begin the season as the starter, but he actually came off the bench for the first five games, until fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis went down with a foot injury (he's out indefinitely). The coaches said Davis flat out beat him out in practice, but they've lauded how much of a 'student of the game' Dickinson is, and he's grown very quickly.

Everybody was curious how well he'd do once he faces Big Ten competition night in and night out — and for now, he's actually performing at a higher level in league play than he did in the five non-conference games. I think the thing that most makes me believe he will continue to play at a high level is the aforementioned passing prowess. He's not a guy that puts his head down and wants to shoot it every time he gets a touch, like big men used to do back in the day. Northwestern came with hard double teams early against U-M, and the Wolverines burned them from three because he kicked it out and this team swings it around the perimeter super well. Again, Robbins vs. Dickinson is going to be a nice test for both guys.

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TGR: Who are the guys in the supporting cast around Dickinson you think are most important to Michigan's success?