Preview and updates: Michigan basketball hosts Purdue Fort Wayne at sold-out Crisler Center

Posted by author December 22, 2024 Basketball

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A sold-out Crisler Center awaits Michigan men’s basketball when it hosts Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off against the Mastodons is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will air on BTN+.

The ‘Dons are 9-4 with losses to UCF, Penn State, Radford and Detroit Mercy against non-conference wins primarily against the bottom third of the KenPom rankings. But Purdue Fort Wayne is a decent mid-major, currently ranked 138th nationally to KenPom and the preseason favorites to win the Horizon League.

Last year, the Mastodons won 23 games and finished as runners-up in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Jalen Jackson and Rasheed Bello and Quinton Morton-Robertson all contributed to that team, and the backcourt trio returned with preseason accolades from the Horizon League coaches.

Jackson, a 6-foot-2 wing, is the highest usage player for the visitors, commanding 29.2% of possessions when he’s on the court. Bello, the 6-foot-0 point guard, has hit 42.9% of his 3-pointers this season, while the 5-foot-8 Morton-Robertson ranked 21st in the country in made triples last year. They’re joined in the front court by a 6-foot-8 power forward and a 6-foot-8 center. That center, Eric Mulder, ranks No. 2 nationally in offensive rating, per KenPom, in large part because he’s making 82.6% of his 2-pointers. Those stats belie his low usage, however, as Mulder has double-digit outings in just three of the last seven games.

The height disparity — 361st nationally for the ‘Dons versus fourth nationally for U-M — should present an advantage for the Wolverines at every position. Purdue Fort Wayne runs an efficient, perimeter oriented offense but predictably rank poorly in both offensive and defensive rebounding metrics. Defensively, Purdue Fort Wayne allows opponents to make 55.9% of 2-pointers, a number that could rise against a Dusty May team that gets the majority of its scoring either at the rim or from beyond the arc.

KenPom predicts a 17-point win for Michigan, giving the Wolverines a 94% chance at rebounding from Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma.

Michigan vs. Purdue Fort Wayne: Game notes

Game notes of interest via the two programs:

In U-M’s last four games, the Wolverines have a 2-2 record with each game decided by no more than a three-point margin – at No. 11 Wisconsin (W, 67-64), Iowa (W, 85-83), vs. Arkansas (L, 89-87) and vs. No. 14 Oklahoma (L, 87-86,).
Over his last five games, Vladislav Goldin has five straight games of 15-plus points, with three of 20-plus, including a career-best 26 vs. Oklahoma. He has averaged 21 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He is shooting 72.2 percent (39-for-54) with 14 dunks.
Eric Mulder is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rating, per Ken Pom.
In the nation, the ‘Dons are 3rd in fewest turnovers per game (8.8) 7th in turnover margin (6.8), 16th in assist/turnover ratio (1.70), 16th in effective field goal percentage (58.0 percent) and 22nd in 3-pointers per game (10.6).
Michigan leads the all-time series 2-0 with wins in 2001 and 2022.