Michigan looks to hold serve tonight at home against Northwestern. A win will be another game closer to their first conference winning record in what seems like forever. It will also increase the excitement for the huge matchup next week at Crisler vs MSU.
Northwestern is not that good. They are 1-2 in the B1G so far. Their two losses are against decent teams (Ohio and Illinois), but they lost by 33 to the Bucknuts. They do not play that well on the road, and Michigan should win by double digits without much worry. The Wolverines cannot come out flat after 2 huge games where they played very well. This will not only be a very discouraging loss, but if the Wildcats find a way to win in AA tonight, it will be the first “bad loss” of the season. When the program is fighting for more respect and national recognition, a loss against a team like NW has the potential to be very damaging.
Michigan does not have to play its best game of the season to win tonight, which is refreshing for a change in B1G season. That doesn’t mean they can just overlook the Purple people eaters. Even though Northwestern will likely finish in the bottom half of the conference, they have the number 1 and 2 scorers in the conference so far. Shurna scores nearly 19 a game, while the point guard Crawford scores 17.
Northwestern does not have a very good post presence on the offensive side of the ball. They focus on moving the ball side to side, trying to set up Shurna for a good shot opportunity. He is a very good shooter with a very bad shooting form. Doesn’t make sense, but I will move on. I would guess Michigan will put Novak on Shurna for most of the game since defense is still Hardaway’s biggest weakness. While a more athletic player like Hardaway should be able to lock down Shurna, Coach B will likely put the more physical, tougher defender on the top scorer. Shurna is 6’9” so Smot could see some time on him, but that would be a very tough matchup for him. Shurna is very smart, and would likely put Smot into foul trouble very quickly. Novak will likely need a lot of help if he has this assignment. Look for Michigan to switch guys a lot. Even though the fans should get a little breather tonight while watching this game, Burke gets no rest. He kept Hulls to 3 points and Taylor to 12 over the past week. Hulls scored 28 in their last game vs Penn St. Tonight’s matchup with Crawford again will be very challenging for Burke. If we have learned anything over the course of the first 16 games, it is Burke is always up for the challenge. I think Crawford still finds a way to score some points tonight, but look for Burke to have a big game on both ends. Other than these two players, Northwestern’s offensive production is very limited.
Defensively, NW likes switching between a zone and man to man. They are not athletic enough to keep up with Michigan in a straight man, so look for some modifications to that tonight. If Michigan can come out shooting the ball well, Northwestern will have a very tough time hanging with us. If the long shots are not falling again for Big Blue, then look for NW to stay in a zone for the majority of the game. Northwestern is not a great rebounding team on either end. Smot, Hardaway, and Morgan all should have a big night on the glass.
I just cant see this Michigan team, led by Novak, to come out flat and overlook a conference opponent. If I am right, look for this game to be well in hand at half time or early in the 2nd half. Northwestern does not have any answer for all of Michigan’s weapons. Hardaway should break the 20 point barrier again tonight, and look for Burke to continue his double digit outings. It has been a little while since one of our post players has had a great game, and I think that ends tonight. Whether it is Smot getting into a rhythm and putting up 15, or Morgan controlling the paint where he will see a single team all night. Tonight would be the kind of game where coach B can get some production out of our slim bench (Vogrich or McLimans hitting a few shots). Michigan is just too athletic, and seems to have a clear team mission, to lose tonight. Michigan 76 NW 61.
Go Blue!
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