Indiana Hoosiers Travel To Face Michigan Wolverines In Critical Big Ten Battle

The Indiana Hoosiers have had a great start to the Big Ten season which may have something to do with their schedule, but will face their toughest test yet as they travel to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines.

Both teams are at the towards the top of the Big Ten and this game could go a long way in deciding where these teams end up come March. Indiana doesn't have a top 50 RPI win yet and this would be a good one to get especially on the road in a hostile environment.

Last Time Out

The Hoosiers hosted Minnesota on Saturday and what looked at one point was going be a blowout ended up being a game that the Hoosiers had to sweat out. Behind a career high 23 points from freshman big man Thomas Bryant, the Hoosiers ended up fending off the winless Gophers and getting a 74-68 win.

The Wolverines are coming in having won their last four games including getting a win on Saturday at Madison Square Garden against Penn State by seven. Their only two Big Ten losses have come on the road at Purdue and at Iowa which are two very respectable losses. They also do have a win over Maryland.

Scouting Report: Michigan

Michigan has been playing some great basketball as of late and have quietly snuck towards the top of the conference even without their star Caris LeVert who has not played since December 30 against Illinois. Coach John Beilein says that they have a date that they are shooting for to get LeVert back, but they are keeping their lips sealed about that date. It could be Tuesday or it could be in March.

Besides LeVert, the Wolverines' point guard Derek Walton Jr. is a big time player for Michigan and does a lot for this team. He averages 11.9 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg), assists (4.0 apg), and steals (1.5 spg). He also shoots the three ball at a rate of 45.3 percent. He is coming off of a 13-point, 10 rebound, and seven assists performance on Saturday.

Another guy who will be a big factor in this game is forward Zak Irvin who had a season high 23 points last season when Indiana got a three point win in Bloomington. This season, Irvin is averaging 10.6 points per game to go along with 4.3 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game for the Wolverines.

Two guards for the Wolverines that can flat out shoot the basketball are Aubrey Dawkins and Duncan Robinson. Robinson is shooting the ball 48.9 percent, 49.7 percent from behind the arc and averaging 12.5 points per game. As for Dawkins, he averages less than 20 minutes per game, but is still averaging eight points per game and is shooting the ball 54.6 percent from the floor.

Mark Donnal is the guy who plays inside for the Wolverines, but isn't too much of a factor while Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman fills out the starting five with Donnal as well.

This team does not have a whole lot of size and that shows in their rebounding as they are 316th in rebounds per game with just 32.6 per game. This team however is a solid defensive team and can score the basketball which makes them fairly balanced. According to KenPom, Michigan is 13th in AdjO which is eight spots higher than the Hoosiers.

What Indiana Needs To Do

This will be one of the toughest conference games the Hoosiers play all year just by the fact that this game is on the road. They have played a bit of a different team on the road and if they plan on winning this game, they can't play like they have in the past two games.

Yogi Ferrell went out and scored 30 points last Tuesday in the loss to Wisconsin, but it was basically just him and that cannot happen if the Hoosiers want to have success. Turning the ball over 19 times like they also did against Wisconsin will not fly against the Wolverines.

If Michigan gets LeVert back in this game, it will make Indiana's task much more difficult, but not impossible.

Another major storyline in this game is the return of Max Bielfeldt to Michigan. He played four years in Ann Arbor and is now a fifth year graduate transfer at Indiana. This will be a big night for Bielfeldt and it will be interesting to see how he plays.

If Thomas Bryant has a big game like he did Saturday against Minnesota, Indiana will have a chance to get a big road win.

What To Expect

According to KenPom, the Hoosiers have a 40 percent chance of getting a road win in Ann Arbor and has the Wolverines winning by a close score of 77-74. The last five meetings have been decided by an average of 5.4 points while five of the last seven games have been decide by five or fewer points, so expect a close game.

This sets up to be a great matchup between two teams who are looking to make a mark on the Big Ten. Whoever comes away in this matchup will, one, get a big resume building win, and two, get a big win with regards to the Big Ten race. Michigan comes in just one game back in the loss column while Indiana is on top of the Big Ten with just one loss.

Tuesday night will be the only time these two teams are scheduled to play this season and it should be fun one in Ann Arbor.