After surviving against Wichita State, Arizona Basketball (4-0, 0-0) prepares for their toughest challenge yet against No. 4 Michigan (3-1, 0-0) in Las Vegas.
Arizona Basketball has been rolling as they are off to a solid 4-0 start, however, the competition has been a bit weak so far, and after escaping with an overtime win over Wichita State on Friday evening, the competition only gets tougher from here.
Coming in, the Wildcats will have their toughest challenge yet as they square off with Michigan as the Wolverines are currently 3-1, are ranked No. 4 in the country, and are fresh off a double-digit win over UNLV.
Arizona has the talent and skill to match Michigan, and despite being considered the underdog here, this should be a great showdown as the Wildcats prepare for the finale in the Roman Main Event against the Wolverines.
We will see if head coach Tommy Lloyd and the Cats can continue their strong play as they look to go 5-0 and score the upset.
Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Michigan Wolverines.
Team: Michigan Wolverines
Conference: Big 10 Conference
2020-21 Record: The Wolverines finished last year with a 23-5 (14-3) record as they won their regular-season Conference Title en route to an NCAA Tournament bid. However, Michigan was knocked out in the Elite Eight to No. 11 seeded UCLA.
Head Coach: Juwan Howard after an illustrious playing career that lasted 19 seasons in the NBA, Juwan has since turned to coaching where he is now in his third season with the Wolverines and has led his alma mater to a 44-18 (24-13) record with an Elite Eight appearance last year.
Keys to the Game:
Win the Glass – Michigan has great length and they use it well to attack the glass, averaging 41 rebounds per game. Adversely, the Wildcats are one of the best rebounding teams in the country as they are averaging 48.5 rebounds per game.
To me, this game is going to come down to winning the battle of the boards, and if Arizona can limit Michigan on the glass and give themselves more second-chance opportunities, the better their chances are at winning.
Stay out of Foul Trouble – Arizona is going to have a tough challenge in defending the post on Sunday evening as Michigan has a terrific frontcourt that starts with Moussa Diabate and Hunter Dickinson.
If Arizona is going to win Azuolas Tubelis and Christian Koloko will need to stay out of foul trouble. Should the Wildcats have any issues with foul trouble early on, it is going to be a tough obstacle to overcome.
Take Care of the Basketball – For about the last eight minutes of their game against Wichita State, the Wildcats were incredibly sloppy turning the ball over, allowing the Shockers to climb back in as they capitalized on the multiple turnovers the Wildcats had.
Arizona cannot have another game where they have 20 turnovers and still expect to win. So if Arizona hopes to score the upset they are going to need to take care of the basketball.
Arizona Basketball versus Michigan Wolverines game information and details:
Date: Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021
Time: 7:30 P.M. MST / 6:30 P.M. PST
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev. (20,000)
Spread: +3.5 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your betting experience)
Television: ESPN
Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) / 1290AM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network
Team Records:
Arizona Wildcats (4-0, 0-0): After dominating their first three games, the Wildcats escaped with a tough win over Wichita State to advance to the Roman Main Event title game. But now the Wildcats must prepare for their toughest test yet in No. 4 Michigan.
Michigan Wolverines (3-1, 0-0): After losing to Seton Hall at home earlier in the week, the Wolverines responded with a big win over UNLV on Friday night. However, Michigan will coincidentally have their toughest test yet as well as they face Arizona.
All-Time Record (since 1949-50): Arizona and Michigan have met 10 times since 1949-50 and the Wildcats currently own an 8-2 lead over the Wolverines.
Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time these two teams met was in 2014, where Arizona came away with the dominant, 80-53 win in Tucson.
My Prediction: Michigan 78 Arizona 74 – I think Michigan is beatable, however, I see Arizona struggling with the Wolverines’ overall size, and more specifically with their big’s Hunter Dickinson and French forward Moussa Diabate as Michigan barely escapes in their close win.