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#18 UConn, Michigan meet in Bahamas Wednesday
By: Dave Schoenholt - StatFox
Published: 11/25/2015  at  7:18:00 AM
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CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (3-0)

vs. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (2-1)

Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament - Round 1
Imperial Arena – Nassau, Bahamas
Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Line: Connecticut -3, Total: 136

No. 18 Connecticut looks for its fourth win in a row as they take on Michigan in the first round of the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

Connecticut, along with No. 10 Gonzaga, headline the Battle 4 Atlantis field in 2015. Wisconsin won this tournament last season, which previewed good things to come for the team that reached the 2015 NCAA title game. The Huskies, led by head coach Kevin Ollie, are mostly unrecognizable from the team that made an improbable run to a national title in 2013-14. They’ve taken care of business so far with the soft early slate, running past Furman, New Hampshire and Maine by an average margin of victory of 29.3 PPG. Head coach John Beilein’s Wolverines are 2-1 SU (1-1 ATS) on the young season, picking up victories over a Non-Division I opponent and at home against Elon, before dropping a disappointing game at home against Xavier. The Wolverines were an 18.5-point favorite for their 88-68 win over Elon, but lost handily as a 5.5-point home favorite on Friday to the Musketeers, 86-70, a loss that could sting well into March. These two clubs have met twice within the past 10 seasons, but this is the first time they will meet on a neutral court. The Huskies and Wolverines played a home-and-home in 2009 and 2010, with the home team winning each time and Michigan going 2-0 ATS. The winner of this contest will move on to the semifinals, playing the winner of the Syracuse/Charlotte game earlier Wednesday afternoon. Both teams have positive betting trends, as UConn is 13-2 ATS in non-home games in the past three seasons when playing for just the second time in eight days, and Michigan is 8-0 ATS under Beilein versus up-tempo teams averaging 62+ shots per game. Neither school has any significant injuries to worry about to open this tournament.

Which team will advance to the semifinal round on Wednesday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2015-16 season.

Shabazz Napier isn’t walking through that door. Neither is Ryan Boatright. The Huskies don’t seem to mind, given the way they’ve roared out of the gate in 2014-15. Playing Michigan will be a great test to see just how good Connecticut is. While not the same athletic mismatch as some earlier opponents, the Huskies still will be at a distinct advantage with size and athleticism, as Michigan has gotten pulverized on the glass this season, just like it did last year. Connecticut will look to 7-foot C Amida Brimah (9.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG) to impact the game inside with his 4.3 BPG (3rd in nation). While Michigan’s weakness is inside, their offense won’t test Brimah as often, as John Beilein teams historically look to score with precise cuts and screens for open threes. The onus will be on returnees, G Daniel Hamilton (8.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 6.3 APG) and G Rodney Purvis (14.3 PPG, 47% threes) along with newcomers F Shonn Miller (12.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG) and G Sterling Gibbs (15.7 PPG, 53% FG) to play defense without fouling, as the newly enforced rules will make it difficult to chase Michigan in the half court through numerous sets. Miller and Gibbs have acquitted themselves nicely in the early going as veteran transfers from Cornell and Seton Hall, respectively. Purvis is finally showing consistency scoring the ball that made him such a sought-after freshman, and transfer, when he announced he was leaving NC State in 2012. With Hamilton, Ollie can boast one of the most unique all-around players in college basketball and a guy who came into college with a “selfish” reputation, but now has to be prodded to shoot more.

Michigan is thankful to finally have a healthy roster, after a season in 2014-15 that saw their top players go down. The starting backcourt of G Caris LeVert (19.3 PPG, 5.0 APG, 50% threes) and G Derrick Walton Jr. (10.7 PPG, 3.3 APG) missed huge chunks of time, and head coach John Beilein isn’t wasting time mixing things up after the embarrassing home loss to Xavier. While surely the senior all-league candidate LeVert is safe from being benched, the rest of the Wolverines lineup is clearly in flux. F Zak Irvin (3.5 PPG) is an NBA prospect who averaged 14.3 PPG last season, but is coming off preseason back surgery and has struggled to just 3-of-11 shooting in limited minutes. The Wolverines lack a true big man, with LeVert and F Aubrey Dawkins (9.0 PPG) both tied for the team lead at 5.0 rebounds per game despite both being perimeter players. G Duncan Robinson (9.3 PPG, 70% threes, 17.0 MPG), a sharp-shooting Division-II transfer from Williams College, could be a candidate for the starting lineup that would really give the Huskies something to worry about. No, the 6-foot-8 Robinson unfortunately won’t help the Wolverines much on the glass (where Xavier pounded them 47-29) but he has drained 7-of-10 threes in Division-I competition, which is nothing to sneeze at. Where Michigan can make up for its rebounding woes is winning the turnover battle, as the Wolverines are very adept with takeaways, with LeVert (2.7 SPG) and Walton (2.0 SPG). Connecticut has taken care of the ball so far, but hasn’t faced perimeter pressure like it will see against the Wolverines trapping defense.


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