After an impressive win over No. 8 Iowa on the road Wednesday, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team has little time left to celebrate.
The Badgers (18-10 overall, 10-5 Big Ten), now confident they’ve punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, will play their final home game of the regular season Sunday when they take on Michigan — a team in desperate need of a resume-building win to help their chances of reaching postseason play.
The Wolverines (20-9, 10-6) stand a half-game behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings. With just two games left for them this year, their trip to the Kohl Center could make or break their season.
The biggest question mark for Michigan in Sunday’s matchup is the health of star guard Caris LeVert, who has missed 14 of his last 15 with a lower leg injury.
LeVert, who is averaging 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the games he has played in this season, he said he still wants to play this season, but is at risk of being shut down.
While it looks bleak, should LeVert miraculously be healthy enough to play Sunday, he could take Michigan’s offense, which is already averaging 78 points per game over their last three outings, to the next level.
Men’s basketball breakdown: Badgers upset No. 8 Hawkeyes in Iowa City
Wisconsin’s key to victory:
- Maintain strong perimeter defense: The Wolverines have been living and dying by the 3-point shot as of late, and are at their best when they are hitting shots from the outside. In their outing against Maryland, it was their sharpshooting from the perimeter that kept them within striking distance for 40 minutes, as they hit 13 of 27 from three. But Michigan struggles to stay in games when they aren’t hitting their outside shots, which was on display in their 76-66 loss to Ohio State, where they shot 5 of 24 from deep. If the Badgers can lock down a defensive perimeter, they’ll have little trouble walking away with a win.
Michigan player to watch: Sophomore Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman
Abdur-Rahkman isn’t typically seen as an offensive threat, as he averages just 7.7 points per game this season, but as of late he has been in the zone offensively for the Wolverines. In just his last two games, the sophomore has a combined 35 points and 11 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field.
Michigan’s biggest offensive threats are guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin, the team’s leading scorers of the year besides LeVert. Abdur-Rahkman’s play, however, has led to the Wolverine’s to have tougher cover on defense, bringing more balance to Michigan’s offensive attack.