An immovable object vs. an unstoppable force.
The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines will face arguably their toughest test so far this season on Tuesday night (7 p.m., Peacock) as they welcome the undefeated No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers for a highly-anticipated matchup.
As of Jan. 26, there are three undefeated teams left: Arizona (20-0), Nebraska (20-0) and Miami (OH) (20-0). Some of Nebraska’s wins include Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Creighton and Indiana. The Cornhuskers also won at Minnesota on Saturday,
rallying from a six-point halftime deficit.
With that success, Nebraska is projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. On Tuesday, Michigan needs to be ready for everything.
“Obviously, it’s the biggest game of the year because it’s the next game, but (they are) a team that’s as disciplined, and as connected as any team that we’ve seen all year,” May told the media on Monday. “…I think the first thing that stands out other than how hard they play is their role definition. They all bring their own special sauce to the equation and really function well as a team. … they’re fun to watch, they’re fun to scout.”
Nebraska has four players that average double-figures, five players that average more than five rebounds per game, and the team is shooting more than 35 percent from three. Forward Pryce Sandfort, the team’s leading scorer, has been on fire all season, but especially lately. He has scored at least 22 points in his last four games and he has shot at least 50 percent from behind the arc in four of the last five games.
Down low, 6-foot-10 forward Rienk Mast has been a disrupter on both sides of the court. He has taken a big step forward in his second year with the program, averaging 14.6 points and six rebounds per contest. Meanwhile, Jamarques Lawrence has been extremely efficient as well, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and nearly 80 percent from the charity stripe.
But Nebraska hasn’t gone undefeated strictly due to a surplus of scorers. The Huskers play a “five-out” offense, keeping all five players around the three-point line ready to take a shot on a moments’ notice.
“I think they might be No. 1 in the country in transition three-point shots, so they don’t really slow it down,” May said. “Once they get into the half court, they cut well, they space the floor. The biggest challenge is with our size and ability to protect the rim.
“They play a five-out style, so if you run back to the paint in transition defense, you’re gonna be looking around trying to find someone to guard and we’re gonna be off balance all night. So we’ve got to be communicating and taking in information as we’re running back so we can get matched up early and push their catches out, figure out ways to disrupt them, and we’re gonna have to change coverages.”
Sandfort, Lawrence, Braden Frager and Sam Hoiberg are all shooting more than 37 percent from three. With the current Wolverines’ struggles from behind the arc, it has the potential to be similar to the Wisconsin game when Michigan was completely out-dueled from deep.
One more thing Michigan must look out for is not getting too comfortable with a big lead. Part of what has made Nebraska so dangerous is its ability to come back from a deficit, bringing a different intensity and energy out of halftime and locking in on defense in big moments.
The Huskers outscored Minnesota by 25 points in the second half on Saturday, following a trend of outscoring Northwestern by 14, Oregon by 23 and Indiana by 15 in the second half in recent weeks.
For a Michigan team that has been complacent at times in January, this is going to be a matchup where the Wolverines need to “play their brand of basketball” for all 40 minutes.
