Hunter Dickinson helps Michigan basketball avoid upset vs. Oakland
Published in Basketball
Michigan basketball was favored by over 30 points against Oakland.
Vegas definitely got that one wrong.
The Wolverines and Golden Grizzlies went to overtime at Crisler Center on Sunday after trading leads throughout regulation.
Michigan was sloppy and missed open shots. Oakland, meanwhile, made enough plays and stole enough passes to lead for much of the second half.
But the Grizzlies did not have freshman center Hunter Dickinson.
Dickinson did not check into the second half until the 11:23 mark — and then proceeded to lead Michigan to a tighter-than-expected 81-71 win by scoring 19 points.
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Huge upset avoided
Without Dickinson, Michigan could have suffered its worst loss since 2014, when the Wolverines lost at home to NJIT as heavy favorites. They were favored by more in this one against Oakland, which entered the game 0-3 and was playing its fourth game in five days after a 21-day pause this month due to COVID-related issues.
This would have been a stunning loss.
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