Gophers continue Big Ten big man gantlet vs. Michigan's Hunter Dickinson

Next up in the Big Ten's big man gantlet for the Gophers is Michigan's 7-1 center Hunter Dickinson in Thursday's conference home opener at Williams Arena.

Dickinson was arguably the best 7-footer returning in the Big Ten this season, but that was before Purdue's 7-4 Zach Edey turned into an early national player of the year favorite.

Edey kept his breakout season going in last Sunday's 89-70 win against the Gophers with 31 points and 22 rebounds. Dickinson's not far behind with his dominance this season leading the Wolverines with a career-high 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds this season.

"The benefit of going against them back-to-back is there are a lot of similar principles defensively," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. "Hunter is very skilled in the low post. He's a good passer. There's a lot of similarities. The biggest difference is Hunter can pick and pop."

Dickinson enters Thursday with four 20-plus point performances this year, including a 31-point effort on Nov. 11 against Eastern Michigan. He put up 23 points in back-to-back narrow losses to Kentucky and Virginia in the last two games.

A different type of threat than Edey with his ability to stretch the floor, Dickinson hit 24 three-pointers in the last two seasons. In his lone matchup with the Gophers last year, he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-65 Gophers victory in Ann Arbor.

Two years ago, Dickinson torched the Gophers with 28 points in a blowout win at Michigan, but he struggled with just nine points in a Wolverines loss on the road.

The Gophers are getting sophomore center Treyton Thompson back after missing Sunday's Purdue loss with an illness. The 7-foot Thompson started the first seven games, but he was replaced in the lineup by freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph, who had 10 points against the Boilermakers.

Don't be surprised if Gophers coach Ben Johnson gives 6-9 freshman Pharrel Payne and 6-11 sophomore Dawson Garcia opportunities to establish a post presence against Michigan on Thursday.

GAME INFO

Time: 8 p.m. CT, Thursday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 4.5-point underdogs. Series: Michigan leads 92-63, including the Gophers 75-65 victory last year in Ann Arbor. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTN-plus. Radio: KFAN 100.3-FM

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA GOPHERS (4-4, 0-1 BIG TEN)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Ta'Lon Cooper 6-4 195 Jr. 11.0

G – Jaden Henley 6-7 200 Fr. 6.0

G – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 13.8

F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 230 So. 13.3

C – Treyton Thompson 7-0 210 So. 2.6

Key reserves – Pharrel Payne, F/C, 6-9, Fr., 7.9 ppg; Braeden Carrington, G, 6-4, Fr., 7.8 ppg; Joshua Ola-Joseph, F, 6-7, Fr., 6.8 ppg; Taurus Samuels, G, 6-1, Sr., 1.8 ppg.

Coach: Ben Johnson 17-21 career (2nd season)

Notable: The Gophers announced 6-8 freshman forward Kadyn Betts will redshirt the 2022-23 season after reclassifying and joining the team early this year. Betts will be part of a highly touted 2023 class that was signed Nov. 9, including five-star center Dennis Evans and four-star guard Cameron Christie. … Freshman guard Braeden Carrington, who won Minnesota Mr. Basketball and a state title last season at Park Center, made his season debut Nov. 14 against DePaul after being out with an ankle sprain. ... Gophers leading scorer Jamison Battle, who missed the first four games with a foot injury, scored 27 points in the win at Michigan last season.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (5-3, 0-0)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Kobe Bufkin 6-4 195 So. 9.6

G – Dug McDaniel 5-11 160 Fr. 4.1

F – Jett Howard 6-8 215 Fr. 15.3

F – Terrance Williams 6-7 225 Jr. 7.8

F – Hunter Dickinson 7-1 260 Sr. 19.6

Reserves – Joey Baker, F, 6-7, Sr., 4.4 ppg; Tarris Reed Jr., F, 6-10, Fr., 2.4 ppg; Isaiah Barnes, F, 6-7, So., 2.2 ppg, Jace Howard, G, 6-8, Jr., 1.9 ppg; Will Tschetter, F, 6-8, So., 1.8 ppg.

Coach: Juwan Howard 66-35 (5th season)

Notable: The Wolverines announced the season-ending knee injury to starting point guard Jaelin Llewellyn on Wednesday after he tore his ACL in the 73-69 loss against Kentucky. Llewellyn, a Princeton transfer, started the first eight games and averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Replacing Llewellyn in the starting lineup is likely to be freshman Dug McDaniel. … Redshirt freshman Will Tschetter, who is from Stewartville, Minn., will be playing his first game back in his home state Thursday night. Tschetter came off the bench in five games with a career-best three points Nov. 20 vs. Ohio.

Fuller's score prediction: Michigan 71, Gophers 66.