No. 19 Connecticut entered this season determined to get back into the National Tournament after last year’s absence. After a 3-0 start, they take on the Michigan Wolverines in a neutral venue in an attempt to extend their winning streak. The Wolverines disappointed in their last outing, dropping an 86-70 blowout at home against Xavier. Can the Wolverines rebound to get past a ranked team?
Catch some more college hoops with our complete previews for Boston vs. Kentucky and Kansas vs. Michigan State.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Michigan Wolverines vs. Connecticut Huskies Preview
Where: Imperial Arena, Nassau
When: Wednesday, November 25, 9:30 PM ET
Line: Michigan Wolverines vs. Connecticut Huskies – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: AXS
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (2-1)
Not even 29 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals from sensational guard Caris LaVert could get the Michigan Wolverines a home win against Xavier. No other Wolverine scored in double figures in an 86-70 loss Friday night. LaVert shot 50 percent from the field against Xavier, including five of eight from three-point range to showcase his hot shooting hand.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]LaVert leads the Wolverines with 19.3 points per game this season on a solid 50 percent from the field. But he’ll face one of the league’s best defenses, Connecticut, which has limited opponents to shoot just 33.5 percent from the field. But LaVert should have some support in Michigan’s other hot shooters, Derrick Walton Jr., Duncan Robinson and Aubrey Dawkins.
Walton is the only other player aside from LaVert to average in double digits through the first three games, scoring 10.7 points per contest. Robinson and Dawkins are a step behind averaging 9.3 and nine points per game respectively. All three players are shooting 52 percent or better from the field this season. Having four solid shooters should help the Wolverines spread out Connecticut’s solid defense.
What could give the Wolverines the edge is their propensity for landing three-pointers. They made 10 of 26 attempts in the home loss to Xavier. Robinson has been solid from beyond the arc, nailing 7 of 10 through three games this season. Walton has made 6 of 12, while LeVert has made 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Outside of Michigan’s top four scorers, no other Wolverine is averaging five or more points per game, though. The lack in depth may hurt the Wolverines’ chances of taking down Connecticut, especially if the top four find themselves in early foul trouble.
The total has gone over in four of Michigan’s last five games.
Betting on the Connecticut Huskies (3-0)
The Connecticut Huskies rolled to their third straight win to open the season, beating the Furman Paladins 83-58 on Saturday. Forward Shonn Miller led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds, while guard Rodney Purvis was a solid playmaker with 13 points and seven assists.
The Huskies have some pretty solid rebounders led by 6-foot-7 forward Daniel Hamilton with 8.3 boards per game. He’s also been a strong playmaker with a team-high 6.3 assists per game. Connecticut can give themselves a bigger chance of extending their win streak to four games if they can dominate the boards against Michigan. The Wolverines were outrebounded 47-29 in the loss to Xavier.
Connecticut isn’t short on scorers to keep their offense flowing. Sterling Gibbs leads the team with 15.7 points per game this season. He’s also played the most among the Huskies, averaging 30 minutes per game. Purvis and Miller offer some support with 14.3 and 12.7 points per game respectively.
The Huskies get even deeper than that. Backup guard Jalen Adams is solid in the second unit with 7.3 points and three assists per game. He led the bench with 14 points and six assists in the blowout win against Furman. Adams also had his contributions on defense with two steals. Having a strong playmaker in the secondary unit should help the Huskies put the heat on a rather shallow Michigan team.
The Huskies are 3-1 ATS in their last four away from Gampel Pavilion.
Writer’s Prediction
The Huskies win four straight with a blowout of Michigan. Create a betting account now and dive into an action-packed NCAA Basketball season.
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