Michigan freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis is ready for this moment.
Actually, he savors this moment, this opportunity to go up against two of the bigger names in the Big Ten. Michigan is set to face IU (12-2, 3-0) Sunday afternoon with the Hoosiers led by freshman shooting guard Romeo Langford and senior forward Juwan Morgan.
The matchup with IU’s stars will be a good test for Brazdeikis who is averaging 16.8 points per game this season.
“That’s real exciting,” Brazdeikis said. “I love playing big matchup games, big teams. I live for those games. I feel like most of the players on our team do as well and we’ll be ready for that game and just be in the moment. Trying to be the best team and always more hungry than the other team.”
One area where IU will test Michigan is inside the three-point arc. The Hoosiers are shooting 60.3 percent from two, which is the third best mark in the nation. This is nearly ten percent better than the national average.
Michigan’s defense is only allowing opponents to shoot 42.4 percent from two, which is the 11th best in the country. This gulf could decide who wins the game Sunday.
Brazdeikis knows they have to watch out for IU on its two-point shooting.
“Just make sure to close out on all their shooters,” Brazdeikis said. “They definitely have a lot of good talent on their team. It’s going to be important to make sure that they have open shots. Just rotating on defense and we’ll be working to prepare for them.”
One Wolverine who could play a bigger role against the Hoosiers is sophomore guard Eli Brooks. While he isn’t starting, he still is playing a significant role for the Wolverines as a backup guard. He’s adjusted to his new role.
“Just staying engaged in games,” Brooks said. “You never know who’s going to pick up a foul. Being ready at all times and take every practice seriously.”
Brooks is part of a group of players who help push the team to get better in practice. Brazdeikis talked about how intense practice has been.
“It’s been real hard,” Brazdeikis said. “We go hard in practice, but now having those guys pushing us to our limits, it’s like playing an actual Big Ten team because that’s Big Ten talent. Our freshman are amazing basketball players. The push us and make us defend.”
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