Michigan vs. Minnesota pre-game

Michigan Basketball @ Minnesota

2/11/10 7:00PM

TV: ESPN Radio: 950 AM and 102.9 FM

 

Minnesota comes into this game with a 14-8 record. They started off conference games strong going 3-1 before hitting a recent tough strech in their schedule in which they had to play Michigan State twice and Ohio State on the road. They are currently strech in a 2-4 strech  needing wins to keep them in the tournament discussion.

 

Minnesota needs this win so they will probably come out motivated. Like many other teams Minnesota will have a size advantage over Michigan. Deshawn Sims will probably have a tough time against Ralph Sampson III who is 6'11" and averages 6.2 rebouns per game. Along with their starters Minnesota has some size on their bench as Colton Iverson (6'10") and Paul Carter (6'8") both average over 15 minutes per game.

 

The backcourt of Minnesota took a hit with the loss of Al Nolen but they still features plenty of depth. Junior Blake Hofbarber will handle the 3 position for the gophers. He is an excellent three point shooter (50% on the year) and also averages about 4 rebounds a game. At the 1 and 2 positions are Lawerence Westbrook and Devoe Joseph. Joseph has taken over for Al Nolen and done a good job averaging over 8 points per game while Westbrook is the senior leader for the gophers and is leading the team in scoring with 13.3.

For Michigan all talk of tournament play is gone and now the only thing they are playing for is a possible shot at the NIT. This season has been a major disapointment and now they just have to take one game at a time and hope for the best. Tonight will be a tough challenge as Minnesota is favored by almost nine points. Michigan needs to come out strong and play at a much higher level than their last couple games if they are going to have a chance in this one.

3 Keys to the Game

1. Start Strong - This is one of the only things that Michigan has done well in their last few games and it will be especially important to quiet the crowd early since Williams Arena is a tough place to play at.
2. Gaurd Play - Michigan needs more production out of the 1 and 2 positions, even if its not through scoring. Players like Darius Morris, LLP, and Stu Douglass can contribute by limiting turnovers, picking up assists, etc. I think Stu especially could have a good game because he is going up against Al Nolen's replacement in the lineup, Devoe Joseph.
3. Defense - Before Michigan's recent strech even when they weren't scoring they were playing strong defense which kept them in games. In their last 2-3 games Michigan's defense has kind of fallen apart especially last Saturday against Wisconsin. If Michigan is going to be competitive in this game and many more down the strech then they are going to improve on defense.

Projected Starting Lineups

Michigan                                          Minnesota

G #4 D. Morris 6'4" 180                    G L. Westbrook 6'0" 193

G #1 S. Douglass 6'3" 185                 G D. Joseph 6'3" 179
G #3 M. Harris 6' 5" 185                   G B. Hoffarber 6'4" 210

F #0 Z. Novak 6'5" 210                     F D. Johnson 6'7" 205

F #34 D. Sims 6'8" 235                      F R. Sampson III 6'11" 241