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

No. 3 Michigan Wolverines basketball (13-1, 8-1 Big Ten) was up by 40 points at one juncture after a 36-3 run in the second half against Wisconsin Jan. 12. But the Badgers (15-6, 9-5 Big Ten) are looking for revenge in a Sunday afternoon tilt at the Kohl Center.

Michigan hasn't played a game in 23 days, and head coach Juwan Howard has concerns about how his team will look after returning to the practice court just last week. Meanwhile, the Badgers are 3-3 in their last six games and 5-3 since first facing Michigan.

The Wolverines are led by senior forward Isaiah Livers, who is shooting 59 percent from three-point land and averaging 16.5 points per in his last four games. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson was in a bit of a rut just before the pause, averaging four turnovers per contest over his last three and not notching double-digit points in any of those outings. However, he's still the team's leading scorer (15.1) and rebounder (7.2).

Wisconsin, led by fifth-year senior guard D'Mitrik Trice, who averages 13.6 points per game, have been in an offensive funk ever since facing the Wolverines' stifling defense the first time around. Outside of a 16-point shellacking of Penn State in which they shot 50 percent from long range, the Badgers haven't shot better than 38.5 percent from deep in their last nine contests.

While Wisconsin beat lowly Nebraska on Wednesday in its last game, the Badgers' offensive struggles were still on full display, with with team shooting 32.3 percent from the floor and going 9-for-32 from beyond the arc (28.1 percent).

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the game, including a breakdown of each team's lineup, key stats and a Q&A with Wisconsin writer Raul Vazquez of Badger Blitz.

Date: Sunday, Feb. 14

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Kohl Center (Madison, Wisc.)

Channel: CBS (CBS Sports App / CBS All Access)

On The Call: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) & Bill Raftery (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 -1

Over/Under: 133

KenPom Prediction: Michigan 67, Wisconsin 66

Clayton Sayfie Prediction: Wisconsin 71, Michigan 67

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RELATED: Michigan Returns 'Rusty' — Juwan Howard Not Sure What To Expect Sunday

s#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith (5-11, 185) — The Columbia grad transfer is averaging 8.4 points and 5.6 assists per game (leads the Big Ten), while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 47.7 percent from deep.

#55 - Senior guard Eli Brooks (6-1, 185) — Took a blow to the face against Minnesota, lost a tooth and had to come out of the game ... Averaging 8.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest ... Shoots 44.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from long range.

#21 - Sophomore guard Franz Wagner (6-9, 220) — Averaging 12 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 49.6 percent from the floor ... Shooting the three at 31.8 percent for the season.

#2 - Senior forward Isaiah Livers (6-7, 230) — Is second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game.. Also adds six rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest, while shooting 48.9 percent overall and 44.6 percent from three.

#1 - Freshman center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 255) — Averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 68.8 percent from the field.

Key Bench Players

#15 - Senior guard Chaundee Brown (6-5, 215) — Averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game off the bench in 20.1 minutes ... Is connecting on 48 percent of his overall looks and 39.6 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 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest and is shooting 64.9 percent from the field.

55 - Fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis (6-10, 250) — Averaging 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 11.7 minutes of work ... Shooting 66.7 percent from the field.

#0 - Fifth-year senior guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, 184) — Averages 13.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.9 percent overall and 37.8 percent from deep.

#34 - Senior guard Brad Davison (6-4, 202) — Scores 8.8 points per game and adds 2.3 assists and 3.5 boards ... Shoots 31.8 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from long range.

#2 - Fifth-year senior forward Aleem Ford (6-8, 217) — Notches 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per outing on average, while shooting 42.1 percent overall and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

#5 - Sophomore forward Tyler Wahl (6-9, 220) — Averages 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per tilt, while shooting 44.4 percent from the field ... Was inserted into the starting lineup after the Michigan loss Jan. 12, and has began all seven games since.

#35 - Senior forward Nate Reuvers (6-11, 235) — Posting 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc.

Key Bench Players

#11 - Fifth-year senior forward Micah Potter (6-10, 248) — The Ohio State transfer is Averages 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and at a 32.8 percent clip from deep.

#1 - Freshman guard Jonathan Davis (6-5, 196) — Averages 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game ... Shoots 44.8 percent overall and 40 percent on threes.

#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Trevor Anderson (6-3, 195) — Averages 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists off the bench ... Shoots at an extremely efficient 60.5 percent from the field and is 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) on threes this season.

The Wolverine: Wisconsin is 3-3 in their last six games. What has been the reason for some of the struggles?

Vazquez: Quite simply, Wisconsin has struggled to hit shots. Even in their most recent game, a win over Nebraska, the Badgers shot an abysmal 9-of-32 from deep. Wisconsin’s rotation is littered with capable shooters and their offense has produced some good looks from deep but they haven’t been able to capitalize.

Across the board, players have struggled to shoot the ball. Over the last five games, Aleem Ford is 14-of-40 from the field, including 6-of-21 from three-point range. D’Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin’s leader against Michigan in the last matchup, has struggled as of late. Trice is shooting 16-of-60 overall and 5-of-24 from deep. Micah Potter has had much of the same struggles as he has failed to finish in double figures in three of the past four matchups. Prior to this stretch, Potter had only finished in single digits three times all season. Brad Davison hasn’t been able to escape the cold shooting bug either. Davison hit three triples against Nebraska but has been cold in the past six games overall. He is shooting 12-of-49 overall and 11-of-36 from three.

Wisconsin may have been able to survive with a win over Nebraska shooting 32.3 percent from the field but they won’t be able to get away with another cold shooting performance against Michigan.

The Wolverine: What adjustments do you expect Wisconsin to make from the first meeting between the two teams in this game?

Vazquez: I expect many of their adjustments to come on the defensive end. Much of the success that Franz Wagner, Mike Smith and Isaiah Livers had were due in part to defensive mistakes by Wisconsin. I expect the Badgers to do a much better job of preventing dribble penetration that had led to layups for the trio. A second will be for UW not to fall asleep while getting back in transition. Michigan, namely Livers, found their stride early hitting triples in transition off of a push from guards. The shots were defended relatively well but had been in rhythm for Livers and Wagner.

On the offensive end, Wisconsin will have to hold onto the ball and specifically not turn it over in live situations. Their ten turnovers in the first meeting isn’t a staggering number and is right around their season average of 9.2 a game but a pair of turnovers came late in the first half leading directly to layups sparking their run to end the half. Michigan does a good job of playing with energy on the defensive end and pressuring ball handlers which UW will have to do a better job of handling.

The Wolverine: Finish this sentence: Wisconsin wins if __________.

Vazquez: They can do a better job of not allowing Michigan to get downhill, if they don’t have many lapses in transition and if they can find a groove hitting their shots.

One of the biggest reasons Michigan had success was the success they had getting into the paint whether it was through off ball actions and cutting or simple dribble penetrations, Michigan had their way getting to the basket. Staying on the defensive end, Wagner and Livers specifically did a great job of setting themselves up in transition for threes or by attacking. The pair applied pressure and knocked down the long ball before the defense was able to set up. Wisconsin prides itself on the defensive end and what they can do in the half court but will have to settle down the Wolverines in transition first in order to set it up into a half court matchup. In the loss to Penn State, Wisconsin gave up 21 points in transition and just three days after they followed that up by not giving up any to the Nittany Lions leading to a 16-point win.

On the offensive end, much of their success will likely come down to whether or not they can make shots. Over the past four games, the team has shot 28 percent or worse from deep in three contests and they haven’t shot over 28 percent from deep in three of the past six contests. Wisconsin shot a woeful 4-of-24 from deep against Illinois, most of which were good looks, and predictably they suffered a 60-75 loss. If they repeat that performance or fail to shoot much better, there won’t be a much different result.

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

Vazquez: This is one of the tougher games to predict with there being a set of questions attached to each team. Wisconsin hasn’t been able to put it all together for an extended period of time over the last stretch of games and will look to do so against a team they struggled mightily against in the first meeting. UW has been a far better team at home winning 19 of their past 21 games inside the Kohl Center and they have had remarkable success facing a team they lost to a second time. Wisconsin hasn’t been swept by a time dating back to the 2017-2018 season and has won eight straight games against teams they had lost to earlier in the season, including Penn State and Maryland this season. The biggest mystery in the college basketball world will be how Michigan comes out after the long pause. Ultimately, though Wisconsin will likely come out hot with the memories of the pounding from a month ago in mind, Michigan is the better team and should come out on top.

Michigan 68, Wisconsin 63

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