A win is a win. The Michigan Wolverines have rarely looked perfect this season, but their performance on a whole is still very positive. Dusty May has his team into the AP Top 25 and ranked 21st by KenPom as well. Sweeping Wisconsin and Iowa was a good start to Big Ten play, and the next two games are also important for the Wolverines’ year-end resume, which is shaping up to be filled more with quantity than quality.

Do not be mistaken: loading the schedule with Power Five schools is the right approach. However, most of these opponents are turning out to be decent, not elite, meaning slipping up against them becomes a little more damaging. Michigan will look to make it four straight over high-major competition against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday. This is a winnable neutral-site contest against another team who is looking to hit the ground running after a program reset.

No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (8-1) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-2)

Date & Time: Tuesday, Dec. 10, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV/Streaming: ESPN

Arkansas and Michigan both made big coaching changes this offseason, with John Calipari heading down to Fayetteville. Unsurprisingly, the team’s three leading scorers – Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland, and Zvonimir Ivisic – were all at (or committed to) Kentucky; fourth on the team in scoring is Johnell Davis, an FAU transfer many had expected to join May at Michigan. Arkansas is 7-2 thus far, with both losses coming against strong opposition (Baylor and Illinois) and none of the wins over anyone too impressive…so basically on track.

The last time these teams met was in a home-and-home over a decade ago. The Razorbacks won in Arkansas during the 2011-12 campaign before the No. 3 Wolverines got revenge in Ann Arbor the next year with the fabled starting lineup of Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, and Jordan Morgan all scoring double-digits. In terms of Calipari, his Kentucky Wildcats were most recently winners over Michigan in London two seasons ago.

One Big Question: Can they make it there?

Three main things seem to be holding Michigan back: turnovers, defensive rebounding, and three-point shooting. Not every flaw appears every single game, but when more than one shows up in a given contest, the outcome will be nervy at best, as was the case against Iowa. Given that Arkansas is a top-50 team per KenPom with a top-20 defense, the Wolverines will not have a ton of margin for error, especially since Michigan cannot simply out-athlete a roster like the Razorbacks’.

Hitting some shots from deep feels big, and another 4-for-20 effort is not going to cut it. Defensive rebounding is also key, as Arkansas has been terrible in this area (273rd), but is great inside the arc (27th), meaning second-chances will be punished. On the other end, this defense is 26th in steal rate and the Hogs will feast in transition if the Wolverines are sloppy again. This is a good test for Michigan, which has yet to show it can consistently avoid these problems. These weaknesses will play right into the Razorbacks’ path to victory, so now is the time for this roster to show it can outgrow these issues.

One Thing to Watch: Big lights will inspire you

Danny Wolf certainly looks like Michigan’s best player, but the Yale transfer is actually grading out only average in ORtg, mostly due to his frustrating turnover numbers. Not all of these are his fault, but this roster will not hit its ceiling with so many unsuccessful passes. Big-time players step up when the lights are brightest, and Wolf has a huge opportunity on Tuesday night to once again look like a star.

I am not sure that Arkansas is going to be able to stop the Wolf-Vlad Goldin pick and roll that has looked like a cheat code over the past few games. If Wolf can run the show while taking care of the ball, the Razorbacks are going to be in trouble without sufficient rim protectors. Once the defense starts reacting, Michigan can free up players like Roddy Gayle, as was the case in the game-winner over Iowa. Just as Wolf showed out in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship Game, look for the electric big man to put on a performance at the Garden.