Tennessee didn’t have any issues with Longwood on Thursday, but they’ll now face what might be the polar opposite on Saturday. No. 11 seed Michigan plays an entirely different style, running through their star center Hunter Dickinson.
The 7-1 sophomore put up 21 points on Thursday as the Wolverines came storming back to beat Colorado State. On the season, Dickinson averages over 18 points per game, along with eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Michigan has plenty of pieces, but their formula begins with feeding the big man.
“He knows where he wants to be on the floor,” Rick Barnes said of Dickinson on Friday. “They do a really good job of moving him around to get him where they want him to be. When he gets over that right shoulder he’s got great touch. He has proven he can make threes and pass the ball. So with that said it’s going to take a team effort.”
Dickinson had an efficient day against Colorado State, connecting on eight of ten shots from the field. That efficiency is a trend that Rick Barnes pointed out on Friday.
“When you look at Michigan, they are a very heavy 2-point team at a very, very high percentage,” Barnes said. “Then you look at them from a three point perspective they are a very, very good three point shooting team this they don’t take a lot but when they do they hit a big percentage. They know he’s part of that and that’s key, he knows where he wants the ball and where he wants to be effective.”
Tennessee is going to throw Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, John Fulkerson and Uros Plavsic at him. It also may be a spot for freshman Jonas Aidoo, who played just four minutes on Thursday. Aidoo has been called Tennessee’s best rim protector by Barnes, and his post defense may come in handy against Dickinson.
“I think the versatility and the fact that they again they do have some shooters around those guys you can’t just dare them to shoot the ball, you just can’t,” Barnes said. “They run a really good offense. They’re a multiple offensive team, the sets and different actions they like to run. They have things they like to do on the outer third of the court and some things they like to do in the middle part of the court. With the balance around them. I think the biggest thing is they know exactly what they’re looking for and exactly how they want to play. I think they’re an unselfish team. I don’t think they would still be playing if they weren’t.”
Tennessee has moved out to a six point favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. ET from Indianapolis. CBS will have the coverage.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.