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The No. 8 LSU Tigers face the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Monday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are coming off an impressive 76-61 win over St. Bonaventure in the first round. While the Bonnies are one of the nation’s top defensive teams, they aren’t Michigan. Not even close.
LSU will have its hands full on Monday night if it expects to punch its second trip to the Sweet 16 in three years, something Tigers’ head coach Will Wade knows all too well.
“They’re a No. 1 seed for a reason; they’re top 10 in the country both offensively and defensively,” Wade said Sunday. “I think they have the sixth-best offense and seventh-best defense.”
Wade spoke of how his team needed to keep Michigan off the glass, which LSU has struggled with this season, until its win over St. Bonaventure, when the Tigers outrebounded the Bonnies, 49-30.
“We’re gonna have to keep them off the glass, which has been an issue for us,” Wade said.
Michigan’s size could create some problems for LSU. The Tigers cannot afford Trendon Watford or Darius Days to get into foul trouble. LSU needs both star forwards if it is going to pull off the upset.
Wade’s biggest area of concern is how his team will deal with Michigan’s length, especially freshman center Hunter Dickinson.
“He’s massive; there are no players like him in the SEC,” the head coach said.
Wade continued discussing Dickinson and his impact on the rest of Michigan’s talented roster.
He’s a load, and we haven’t played a post player like him all season long. Then you space it out with good shooters. Michigan leads the Big 10 in two-point field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and free-throw percentage. When you space him out with really good shooters, it makes them difficult to guard.
LSU and Michigan are scheduled to tipoff at approximately 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday.
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