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

No. 7 Michigan Wolverines basketball (10-0, 5-0 Big Ten) is set to host No. 9 Wisconsin (10-2, 4-1 Big Ten) Tuesday night in a clash of top 10 teams. Michigan is fresh off two top-25 wins last week against Northwestern (85-66) and Minnesota (82-57), while the Badgers just beat Indiana (80-73) and Minnesota (71-59) in its last two games, after falling at home to Maryland Dec. 28 (70-64).

Both teams are extremely efficient on both ends of the floor, with Michigan checking in with the No. 6 offense and No. 18 defense in the country, per Kenpom, while Wisconsin is at No. 10 and No. 7, respectively.

A veteran team that starts five seniors, the Badgers make each and every possession count. They average just 8.9 turnovers per game and give the ball away on only 12.1 percent of their possessions (third in the country). They also shoot 41.4 percent from long range (fifth), with all five guys on the floor able to fire it from deep. 41.4 percent of their points come on three-pointers (fourth).

Fifth-year senior guard D'Mitrik Trice, who averages 14.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, runs the show for Wisconsin, and he's given the Wolverines problems in the past, including in his 28-point performance at Crisler Center last season. He'll likely be up against senior guard Eli Brooks, who missed last year's only matchup between the two teams. Brooks is "the head of the snake," for Michigan defensively and one of the top perimeter defenders in the league.

Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who is averaging 18 points and 8.1 rebounds (both team-highs), just dropped a career-high 28 points on Minnesota's Liam Robbins. He has another tough challenge ahead of him, with the Badgers being able to throw two talented veteran big men at him in fifth-year senior Micah Potter and senior Nate Reuvers. They'll each take their turns trying to contain Dickinson defensively, which is not an easy task, but they also have the advantage of being able to play on the perimeter on offense and shoot the long ball (Dickinson has had trouble guarding on the outside). Reuvers shoots 39.1 percent from three, while Potter connects on 43.3 percent of his looks from deep.

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 insider Benjamin Worgull of Badger Blitz.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021

Time: 7:01 p.m. ET

Venue: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Channel: ESPN (Stream: ESPN app)

On The Call: Dave Flemming (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 -3.5

Over/Under: 135

KenPom Prediction: Michigan 68, Wisconsin 67

Clayton Sayfie Prediction: Michigan 70, Wisconsin 68

RELATED: Dan Dakich: Michigan 'Can Beat Anybody,' Is The 'Best Team' In The Big Ten

RELATED: Frankie Collins 'Best Player on The Court' In Showdown With Emoni Bates

s#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith (5-11, 185) — The Columbia grad transfer is averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43.5 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 9.1 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per contest ... Shoots 42.7 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from long range.

#21 - Sophomore guard Franz Wagner (6-9, 220) — Averaging 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor ... Shooting the three at 35.3 percent for the season.

#2 - Senior forward Isaiah Livers (6-7, 230) — Is second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game.. Also adds 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest, while shooting 49.5 percent overall and 38.5 percent from three.

#1 - Freshman center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 255) — Averaging a team-high 18 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 73 percent from the field (second nationally).

Key Bench Players

#15 - Senior guard Chaundee Brown (6-5, 215) — Averaging 9.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game off the bench in 19.9 minutes ... Is connecting on 47.9 percent of his overall looks and 39.5 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 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest and is shooting 72 percent from the field.

#0 - Fifth-year senior guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, 184) — Averages 14.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.3 percent overall and 42.1 percent from deep ... Poured in 28 points last season against the Wolverines.

#34 - Senior guard Brad Davison (6-4, 202) — Scored 10 points per game and adds 2.6 assists and 3.2 boards ... Shoots 38.6 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from long range.

#2 - Fifth-year senior forward Aleem Ford (6-8, 217) — Averages 9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per outing, while shooting 46.8 percent overall and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.

#35 - Senior forward Nate Reuvers (6-11, 235) — Starts at power forward but plays the bulk of his minutes at the five spot ... Averages 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and at a 39.1 percent clip from deep.

#11 - Fifth-year senior forward Micah Potter (6-10, 248) — The Ohio State transfer is averaging 12.5 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from long range.

Key Bench Players

#1 - Freshman guard Jonathan Davis (6-5, 196) — Plays 24.5 minutes per game off the bench, and averages 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game ... Shoots 44.4 percent overall and 30.8 percent on threes.

#5 - Sophomore forward Tyler Wahl (6-9, 220) — Sees action at the four spot nearly half the game (21.9 minutes) ... Averages 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per tilt, while shooting 47.4 percent from long range.

#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Trevor Anderson (6-3, 195) — Averages 3.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists off the bench in 15 minutes ... Shoots at an extremely efficient 72.7 percent from the field and is 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) on threes this season.

The Wolverine: What is Wisconsin's rotation like in the front court? How often are Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter on the floor at the same time, and where does Tyler Wahl fit in?

Worgull: Wisconsin has settled on an eight-man rotation with five seniors in the starting lineup and a bench rotation that includes two guards and sophomore Tyler Wahl, who scored a career-high 12 points in last Thursday’s double overtime win over Indiana. UW has a luxury in that it has multiple players who can handle point guard duties outside of senior D’Mitrik Trice. When senior guard Trevor Anderson is in the lineup and Trice moves to the two, the Badgers typically move a little bit quicker with their pace and can snap into attack mode. Trice is playing at an exceptionally high level and now says he has the confidence to take over games when things get stagnate.

After rarely playing on the floor at the same time last year, Reuvers and Potter play together frequently and have developed a good low-post combination. Potter leads UW in shooting (52.5 field goal percentage) and Reuvers is shooting 58.3 percent (14 of 24) in the second half of Big Ten games, although the latter has struggled to deliver consistent production in the opening half over the last few weeks. If either of them are in foul trouble, struggling on either end of the floor or need a break, Wahl has fit in seamlessly on the court with his energy plays and his defense.

The Wolverine: How do you see the Badgers' pick-and-pop game exploiting Michigan's defense? The Wolverines had trouble guarding it last season and have struggled in similar situations this year with freshman center Hunter Dickinson.

Worgull: Part of the reason Potter and Reuvers have been successful this season is the danger teams face in doubling the low post with a lineup that can shoot the three-point shot confidently at all five spots. Wisconsin is sixth nationally at 41.4 3-point percent, four of UW’s five starters are averaging at least one made three-point shot per game and all five have made at least nine triples this season. Potter is shooting 43.3 percent from the perimeter, while Reuvers is not far behind at 39.1 percent. A total of 11 different Badgers have made a 3-pointer this season and each of UW’s top eight scorers have hit multiple triples.

Michigan was missing Eli Brooks last season when Wisconsin went 11 of 23 from the three-point line in Ann Arbor, but the Wolverines look like they have done a better job in making teams uncomfortable from behind the arc. While it’s easy to say they need to run shooters off the line, Michigan and Dickinson will have a lot of players they will need to keep tabs on.

The Wolverine: What is the strength of this Wisconsin team?

Worgull: The fact that most of this group was part of the Badgers’ eight-game win streak last season to claim a piece of the 2019-20 conference crown has paid off dividends through the early parts of this season, especially with the pandemic shortening the preseason and non-conference schedule that teams typically use to build their rosters.

While some teams are trying to figure out who they are, the Badgers went through enough adversity last season that they were able to hit the ground running with a clear vision of what they needed todo in order to repeat.

Entering Tuesday, Wisconsin is one of two teams in the nation ranked top 10 in the Ken Pomeroy Rankings for both offense and defense (No. 7 defense, No. 10 offense). The other school is second-ranked Baylor.

This Badgers’ team is typical of past Wisconsin teams: they play solid defense (league-best 61.5 points per game allowed), they don’t beat themselves (second nationally with 8.2 turnovers per game) and have depth at all five positions.

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

Worgull: They can defend the paint. For as good as the numbers are on the defensive end of the court, Wisconsin has had some lapses defending pick-and-rolls, cutting off driving lanes and boxing out around the rim.

Looking at the last three games specifically, Wisconsin allowedMaryland to score 38 points in the paint, gave up 16 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points to Minnesota and allowed 44 points in the paint to Indiana.The Hoosiers game specifically, Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was 10-for-16 from the field for 23 points, securing 12 rebounds and either scoring or assisting on 11 straight points during a second-half stretch.

To UW’s credit, the Badgers revamped their defensive lineup and the move kept Jackson-Davis without a field goal for the final 16+minutes. Wisconsin’s post players and head coach Greg Gard have praised the early success of Hunter Dickinson, acknowledging he’ll be a physical challenge that the Badgers haven’t faced to this point in the season.To combat that, the Badgers can’t afford to have lapses in the low post. In the last 30 meetings in the series, Wisconsin is 21-3 when holding Michigan under 70 points and 1-5 when the Wolverines go over 70.

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