Michigan vs. Minnesota Preview, Lineup Breakdown, Prediction & More

No. 7 Michigan Wolverines basketball became the first team in college basketball history to win three-straight games against ranked opponents by 19 or more points, after taking down Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin in consecutive games to improve to 11-0 on the year.

Now, Michigan is set to take on the No. 23-ranked Gophers for a second time in 10 days, after dismantling them, 82-57, at Crisler Center last week. In the first meeting, Michigan showed its defensive prowess, holding Minnesota to 32.4 percent from the field and 25 percent from long range. Offensively, the Wolverines went just 4 of 13 from long range, but got 46 points in the paint and a career-high 28 points from freshman center Hunter Dickinson.

Dickinson is set to match up once again with Minnesota junior center Liam Robbins, who 13.2 points and a team-high 7.2 boards per game. In the last meeting, Robbins struggled mightily (five points on 2-of-9 shooting) on both ends of the floor.

In the back court, it will be Minnesota redshirt junior point guard Marcus Carr against Michigan senior guard Eli Brooks, who got the better of Carr last week. Carr scored 14 points on 5-of-16 from the floor, which isn't a winning formula for the Gophers, as Carr averages 23.9 points per game in wins and 13.3 points in losses.

The Gophers shoot the most three-pointers in the Big Ten (26.1 per game) but have the worst shooting percentage from long range (30.3). Couple that with the fact that Michigan is the best two-point percentage defense in the country, according to Kenpom, and it appears that the Wolverines may just be a tough matchup for the Gophers.

That being said, Minnesota hardly turns the ball over (on just 15 percent of its possessions, which is 15th in the country) and it gets to the foul line at a high rate (29th-most in the country), so they have the capability to play efficient offense, even against this very good Michigan defense.

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the game, including a Q&A with The Gopher Report's Connor Stevens, key statistics, a breakdown of each team's lineup and more.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Channel: ESPN2 (Stream: ESPN App)

On The Call: Jason Benetti (play-by-play) & Dan Dakich (analyst)

Radio: Detroit: WWJ-Radio (950 AM) | Ann Arbor: WWWW (102.9 FM)

On The Call: Brian Boesch (play-by-play) & Terry Mills (analyst)

Line: Michigan -5.5

Over/Under: 147.5

KenPom Prediction: Michigan 76, Miinnesota 72

Clayton Sayfie Prediction: Michigan 80, Minnesota 71

RELATED: Michigan's Chaundee Brown Loves Winning And Appreciates It More Than Most

RELATED: Film Room: Breaking Down Key Aspects Of Michigan's Win Over Wisconsin

#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith (5-11, 185) — The Columbia grad transfer is averaging 9.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, while shooting 52.2 percent overall and an efficient 46.2 percent from deep.

#55 - Senior guard Eli Brooks (6-1, 185) — Is the team's best perimeter defender ... Averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per contest ... Shoots 42.5 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from long range.

#21 - Sophomore guard Franz Wagner (6-9, 220) — Averaging 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and three assists per game, while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor ... Shooting the three at 36.1 percent for the year.

#2 - Senior forward Isaiah Livers (6-7, 230) — Is second on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game.. Also adds 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest, while shooting 49.1 percent overall and 40.4 percent from three.

#1 - Freshman center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 255) — Averaging a team-high 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 70.9 percent from the field.

Key Bench Players

#15 - Senior guard Chaundee Brown (6-5, 215) — Averaging nine points and 3.2 rebounds per game off the bench in 19.5 minutes ... Is connecting on 48.1 percent of his overall looks and 39 percent of his attempts from deep.

#23 - Junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. (6-8, 240) — Plays the four and five spot off the bench ... Averages 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest, and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field (4 of 6 from three).

#51 - Fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis (6-10, 250) — Started the first five games of the season before missing the next five with a plantar fascia injury ... Returned last game versus Wisconsin and played 12 minutes off the bench .... Averaging 5.7 points and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 70 percent from the field.

#5 - Redshirt junior point guard Marcus Carr (6-2, 195) — Leads the team and is third in the Big Ten in points per game, with 20.9 ... Adds 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per contest, and shoots 42.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from long range.

#22 - Junior guard Gabe Kalscheur (6-4, 200) — Scores 9.8 points per game and posts 1.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per outing, while shooting 31.5 percent overall and knocking down 22.7 percent of his threes ... Is a volume shooter from deep (17 makes on 75 attempts this season).

#11 - Junior guard Both Gach (6-6, 185) — Is notching 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per night, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 34.8 percent on three-pointers.

#23 - Fifth-year senior forward Brandon Johnson (6-8, 220) — Averages 8.1 points and six rebounds per game, while connecting on 48.6 percent of his looks overall and 37.9 percent of his threes.

#0 - Junior center Liam Robbins (7-0, 235) — The Drake transfer averages 13.2 points and a team-high 7.2 boards per game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field ... Can also step out and shoot the long ball (10 of 29 for the season).

Key Bench Players

#4 - Freshman guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. (6-2, 175) — Sees 15.6 minutes per game off the bench as the backup point and shooting guard ... Averages 5.1 points, 1.3 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 32.4 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from three.

#35 - Sophomore forward Isaiah Ihnen (6-9, 220) — Plays 15.8 minutes per game, primarily at the power forward spot ... Averages 2.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting only 28.9 percent overall and 19.4 percent from three.

#24 - Fifth-year senior forward Eric Curry (6-9, 240) — Plays 12.5 minutes per game as the backup big man to Robbins ... Averages 3.6 points and 2.1 boards per outing, while shooting 48.7 percent from the field ... Has made 2 of his 6 attempts from three-point range.

The Wolverine: What was your biggest takeaway from the first meeting between Michigan and Minnesota?

Stevens: Michigan is for real.

I'm going to be honest. I was skeptical of the Wolverines at first. They hadn't necessarily played anyone that could be considered a serious threat until Minnesota. My first instance that I really watched a full game of Michigan this year was when they played Oakland. I saw them again play against Penn State to open up Big Ten play and again came away less than impressed.

Then starting with their game against Minnesota, I was blown away by the defensive intensity that they played with and the energy that their bench brought to the game for the full 40-minutes. Then they did what they did against Wisconsin and many around the country including myself are wondering if they belong in the same sentence as Gonzaga and Baylor.

The Wolverine: What are the biggest adjustments you expect Minnesota to make?

Stevens: This isn't something that I expect to change just from the Michigan game, but this entire stretch that they've been on. The Gophers shoot a far too many three's. Only Iowa, Penn State, and Nebraska shoot more three's per game than Minnesota. The problem is, of the 26.1 per game they take, they only make 7.9. That's good for 30.3% and last in the Big Ten. Nebraska is second to last at 32%, so the Gophers are the worst shooting team in the League by a considerable amount when you consider volume.

Minnesota's losses all contain 28 or more three point attempts with less than a 30% conversion rate on those attempts. While there wins do include a higher amount of three-pointers made, they can be attributed to their success getting the ball inside, getting to the line, and then kicking the ball out beyond the line. That's rarely happened in the losses. I think I said this in the last preview as well, but Minnesota needs to work inside out, get ball-reversals when help comes inside on Robbins, and cut to the basket and get to the line. This team falls in love with what they do the worst and is really good when they stick to what they do well. It sounds easy, right? It hasn't been so far, but I expect that to be an emphasis early.

The Wolverine: What do you expect out of Robbins-Dickinson part two?

Stevens: Liam Robbins has been noticeably more comfortable at home, so I expect a better performance on his side of things. I thought Robbins and Minnesota started the game off pretty well to be honest, but like I said above, they fall in love with the thing that doesn't love them back and forget about Robbins for too long. Hey, we all want what we can't have, am I right?

In all seriousness, I think Robbins and Dickinson are probably the second and third most skilled big men in the conference with the edge going to the freshman, but this is a really fun battle to watch. Michigan does a great job of feeding Dickinson on the roll and getting him involved in different ways on offense. He has the ability to get his dirty work done before the catch and get great position so all he has to do is put the ball in the hoop, and he does that maybe second best to only Garza in the country. Robbins isn't there yet at that. I think Dickinson will out battle Robbins in this one again, but I expect it to be much closer this time and the Drake transfer to step his game up from last time. If Robbins is able to force Dickinson to catch outside the block a majority of the time, then he can at least contain him, but Dickinson is sneaky for a 7-footer in getting to his spots so it's going to be a constant battle.

The Wolverine: Finish this sentence: Minnesota wins if _________.

Stevens: Carr and Robbins combine for 45-50 and the Gophers make 23+ free throw attempts.

Carr has been struggling a lot as of late, and he needs to get going for Minnesota to beat the best teams in the Big Ten. Liam Robbins needs to be Carr's 'Robin' (see what I did there?) and be consistent in doing it. Along with them having big games, the Gophers are going to need to do what they do best and that's slow the game down at the free throw line. If Michigan gets energy and there isn't a lot of stoppage in play, it's likely not going to go in Minnesota's favor. The Wolverines are a dangerous team when they get running, so if Minnesota is able to get big games from their stars, get to the line, and get back on defense while limiting turnovers that is their best chance to be victorious.

The Wolverine: What is your final score prediction and how do you think the game will play out?

Stevens: Honestly, I think there is no better time to be playing Michigan if you're the Gophers. They're coming off a 33-point blowout win over ninth ranked Wisconsin, and we all know what they did to Minnesota last Wednesday at the Crisler Center. Everyone in the country is talking about how great they are and how they're a Final Four caliber team. Maybe their head's get a little big and it's time to be humbled? Also, Minnesota has yet to lose at home and that's including double-digit wins over Ohio State and Michigan State, a victory over top-25 St. Louis, and a victory over Iowa in overtime.

At the same time, I don't think Minnesota is playing well enough right now for that to fully come into fruition. I don't believe we'll see the same Michigan team that has been dominating since the New Year, and I think Minnesota plays really well at home.We get a really competitive first half, Michigan takes a second half lead, Minnesota comes back but can't get it done late.

Minnesota 66, Michigan 70

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