No. 11 Tennessee
vs. No. 2 Michigan
Time: 7:15PM
ET
Venue: Lucas
Oil Stadium
TV: CBS
Records: Tennessee
24-12; Michigan 27-8
Tennessee stat
leaders: Points – Jordan McRae (18.6 ppg); Rebounds – Jarnell Stokes (10.7
rpg); Assists – McRae (2.5 apg); Steals – Darius Thompson (1.0 spg).
Michigan stat
leaders: Points – Nik Stauskas (17.4 ppg); Rebounds – Jordan Morgan (5.0
rpg); Assists – Stauskas (3.3 apg); Steals – Caris LeVert (1.1 spg).
Current Streaks: Tennessee
W3, Michigan W2
Point Spread: Michigan
-2.5
Prediction: The
hype around Tennessee basketball has really grown in a week. The Vols have gone
from a team that might not make the NCAA Tournament to a potential Final Four
contender. There is some validity to the hype, but I think you also have to
consider what the Volunteers have been up against in the tournament thus far.
They beat an Iowa team that collapsed, a UMass team that everyone thought was
going to lose to no matter who it played and a Mercer team that was clearly
outmatched. Tennessee is going to be seriously tested today in multiple ways.
First is by the environment. Lucas Oil Stadium is a big venue and playing a
game in such an open space can be tough to adjust to. Michigan has the luxury
of having that experience from last year’s games in Cowboys Stadium. The second
test will come from the Wolverines. Michigan is the best shooting team the Vols
have seen in some time. Tennessee’s defense is not outstanding, so the
Wolverines should get their looks from beyond the arc. Michigan will look to
push the pace to fatigue Tennessee’s bigs. The Vols have the size to pose a
problem for Michigan, but we also thought that about Texas, and Michigan shot
too well for it to be a real problem. I like what Tennessee has done, but the
Volunteers have yet to beat a ranked opponent (at the time of the game) this
season and I don’t see it happening tonight. Michigan has the talent and the
experience to win this game. Michigan
78, Tennessee 68
No comments:
Post a Comment