Michigan’s offense continues to click in win over Nebraska

Hunter Dickinson’s first basket of Thursday’s game occurred in fairly typical Dickinson fashion: He caught an over-the-shoulder pass from Terrance Williams II in the lane, gathered and threw down a vicious dunk. 

But it was rather unordinary that Dickinson’s first basket — and his first shot — didn’t come until nearly 16 minutes into the game. And it was equally bizarre to see that, at that point, Michigan led Nebraska, 41-19, in spite of the lack of production from its best player. 

“It’s huge for us to be able to have playmakers,” Will Tschetter said after Michigan’s 93-72 romp. “… It’s huge for our development, having that balanced scoring like we had tonight. So if someone isn’t on that night, other dudes are there to pick him up, make plays and get the job done.” 

It’s rare, though, that Dickinson is the player who Michigan successfully picks up. He is the engine that makes this offense go; when he isn’t quite his All-American self, the offense tends to sputter and stall. And when he’s on, he carries Michigan with him, elevating the offense to another level. 

Entering Thursday’s game, Michigan believed that Dickinson might need a little more help than usual. According to Jett Howard, Dickinson has been feeling under the weather for the past few days. 

“Everyone had a good sense of, we got to pick it up,” said Jett Howard, who finished with a team-high 22 points. “That was the difference today. … My Dad said, ‘We just gotta help him today.’ ”