HOUSTON — The Michigan Insider has made it to Texas ahead of the CFP National Championship Game between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington.
The Wolverines and Huskies will both arrive in Houston on Friday, flying into the Lone Star State on charter flights from their hometowns. They will spend the weekend preparing for the game, and we’ll have access to some of their practice and a media day with the entire team. Aside from the expanded media access and, of course, the big stage, this is otherwise a more typical business trip for the Wolverines — no trip to Disneyland or prime rib dinners this time.
Losses to Florida and McNeese State have dropped Michigan men’s basketball below .500 and leave the Wolverines with work to do as Big Ten play resumes Thursday night against Minnesota.
U-M hosts the Gophers at Crisler Center at 9:02 p.m. ET. The game will stream on Peacock with Jac Collinsworth and Stephen Bardo on the call.
Minnesota enters with a 10-3 record but is ranked 83rd on KenPom — 11th in the Big Ten — with the nation’s 78th-best adjusted offense and 100th-ranked adjusted defense. They are led in scoring by Dawson Garcia, who has returned to the lineup after an ankle injury. He led Minnesota in scoring and rebounding last year, averaging 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds; the junior forward is a captain and a stretch big.
PG Elijah Hawkins, a Howard transfer, has started every game with his new program. He plays 73.5% of minutes — more than any of his teammates — and is an excellent distributor, but is the least efficient shooter of anyone who earns meaningful minutes on the Gophers
