The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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84 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL The showdown with Purdue came just five days after an 82-76 loss in West La- fayette Feb. 5. The game in Ann Arbor was originally scheduled for Jan. 11, but was postponed due to COVID-19 within the Michigan program. The rescheduled date provided an opportunity for quick revenge. "We really were looking forward to playing them," Dickinson said. "We felt like it slipped away from us in that we had them but there were some possessions on defense we couldn't capitalize on and get stops when we needed. "Today, I felt like we got stops the en- tire game. For us, we just played a full 40 minutes of Michigan basketball. There were no lapses out there for more than a minute or two. It was a matter of playing a full game and everyone stepping up." Dickinson hopes a win like that can spark this group during the stretch run. "We're running out of games [to turn this around]. This was a big win for us and one we really needed. Hopefully we can use this momentum to carry on to the last remaining games of the season and into the Big Ten Tournament." The victory over Purdue shot U-M up more than 20 spots on KenPom's effi- ciency ratings and 17 spots to No. 40 in the NCAA's NET ratings. It marked How- ard's highest-ranked opponent defeated as head coach (topping No. 4 Ohio State last season), and the Wolverines hope to use it as a launching point to a stellar con- clusion to the campaign. — Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome MOUSSA DIABATE DETAILS DEVELOPMENT Moussa Diabate came to Ann Arbor as a five-star prospect with tremendous potential. His skill set makes him a player that could be an NBA lottery pick in time, but it is still a work in progress for the young big man. Diabate hopes his work with head coach Juwan Howard will push him over the top. "I've been working with [him] and watching some film with him," Diabate said. "He helped me work on my hook and trying to stay as consistent as I can on my hook shots. Everything around the basket, also my moves, too. "I am a little bit quicker than other bigs that are in front of me. So it gives me an advantage when I face up. Just working on a little bit of everything. Trying to be as refined, as much of an all-around player as I can." Diabate is also labeled a workout war- rior by his teammates and someone they have trouble keeping out of the gym. He was not ready to divulge any of his plans but feels he has struck the balance be- tween work and giving himself time off. "It depends," he said. "I'm not trying to give too much of my secret, but I've been in there. I've been doing my thing. I believe that sometimes you have to un- derstand how to relax. "You have got to find when the right time is to work and what to work on. I get my time in there, though." Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson has had plenty of playing time next to Diabate and sees continued development from the raw big man. "He's a heck of a player with a ton of potential and a ton of skill right now," Dickinson said. "Obviously he can im- pact the game the way he does and open things up for us. I told him at halftime [of the win over Purdue] that he is changing the game for us. "In a system as good as ours, he makes us really tough to stop out there [when he is playing well]." — Anthony Broome CALEB HOUSTAN APPEARS IN ESPN NBA MOCK DRAFT Freshman forward Caleb Houstan came to the program as a potential lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. While he has shown more of what he was expected to be in recent games, there is still work to do to regain his lofty stock. ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz released an updated mock draft Jan. 26, which slotted Houstan to the New York Knicks in the second round at pick No. 41. He was the only Wolverine to appear on the list. Houstan was also recently named the No. 10 freshman in college basketball by CBS Sports' David Cobb. "Houstan hit 13 of 19 shots, including 5 of 8 from three-point range, in Michi- gan victories over Maryland and Indiana," Cobb wrote. "It was far and away the best week of an up-and-down freshman cam- paign, and it helped the Wolverines get some sorely needed momentum. The race for Big Ten Freshman of the Year is a good one between Michigan State's Max Chris- tie, Ohio State's Malaki Branham, Ne- braska's Bryce McGowens and Houstan." — Anthony Broome SOPHOMORE GUARD ZEB JACKSON ENTERS THE TRANSFER PORTAL Michigan basketball sophomore guard Zeb Jackson was expected to compete for playing time this year after a summer in which he put in a lot of work. Instead, he missed much of the first half of the season due to an illness, never really found a place in the rotation and announced his inten- tion to enter the transfer portal Jan. 31. Jackson averaged 5.2 minutes over 16 games as a freshman in 2020-21 and ap- peared in four contests this year. He aver- aged 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in those outings. He also shot 50 percent from three-point range. Jackson hadn't appeared on the bench during games since Michigan's contest at Rutgers Jan. 4, though, fueling specula- tion about his future with the program. "He's just working through some things," assistant coach Phil Martelli said Houstan was projected to be a second- round pick in ESPN's Jan. 26 NBA mock draft. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL