By Pete Janny
Last season’s national championship match-up between UConn and Michigan was the first meeting between the two programs since the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2015. The wait is far less grueling this time around, with only seven months separating the rematch tonight at TD Garden.
Three Things to Watch for UConn
Shot-making Fortunes
UConn has all the makings of a really good basketball team on both ends of the floor. With that said, the Huskies couldn’t do much from three-point in the early going of Monday night’s 88-48 win over Gardner-Webb at PeoplesBank Arena. The Huskies were way off even while getting good looks from Braylon Mullins and Nik Khamenia. Both halves were far from sexy for the three-point attack— 4-of-15 (27%) in the first half and 5-of-14 (35%) in the closing period. Friday night won’t be nearly as easy to generate open looks, as UConn needs to show a lot more urgency and precision on their releases in order to not dig themselves a hole against the defending champions. The good news for Connecticut fans is that when Mullins, Khamenia, and sensational freshman Colben Landrew are hitting shots, the Huskies pretty much instantly become an elite offensive unit.
UConn phenom, Colben Landrew, could be the x-factor tonight vs. Michigan in Boston.
Advantage Big Men?
UConn’s big man duo Na’jai Hines and Oscar Giltay are set to go to work against Michigan’s frontcourt cast of Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella, UCF transfer Moustapha Thiam, talented freshman Quinn Costello, and LSU transfer Jalen Reed. Hines and Giltay will be much harder pressed to get the pick-and-roll working against Michigan’s mobile bigs. Additionally, the rebounding battle will be on full display — an area where Giltay could use improvement after only pulling down three caroms in 17 minutes against Gardner-Webb. If one of UConn’s two towers gets into foul trouble, Dan Hurley may be pressed to get creative with his line-ups, incorporating small-ball combinations.
Silas Needs A Raise
Silas Demary could use an increase in activity, offensively speaking, for the Huskies. In Monday’s win over Gardner-Webb, Demary gladly accepted a background role while still dishing out alley-oop assists to the assortment of talented wings and bigs on UConn’s roster. The scary part for opposing teams is that version of Demary—who went unnoticed for parts of the night—still yielded a stat line of 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. In order for UConn to get out to an early lead on Friday night in Boston, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year will need to leave any overly passive instincts in the locker room and come out firing alongside Mullins and new running mates Khamenia and Hines. Expect to see that three-shot total from Monday night triple or quadruple tonight for one of the best true point guards in the country.
Three Things to Watch for Michigan
Rebound The Basketball
Mike Boynton Jr. wouldn’t have been blamed if he had shown his team Taurean Prince’s throwback instructional video on how to rebound a basketball. That’s because his Wolverines team suffered a 44-32 result on the boards against Oakland in the season opener on Monday night. Surely, a now-healthy Moustapha Thiam will change the complexion of the rebounding battle on Friday night. If Thiam’s back to feeling 100% after a brief virus, Michigan will wield the powers of a player who averaged 10.3 rebounds over his final eight games in a UCF uniform.
Activate Championship DNA
Despite only being ranked 16th in the country, Michigan still employs a line-up headlined by key returners Roddy Gayle Jr., Elliot Cadeau, and Elliot Cadeau. The past stars may be off to the NBA alongside former coach Dusty May, but there are still deep March expectations at Michigan. The shot-making from the above trio will be a necessity to overcome a deep UConn team.
Defense Wins Championships (and Games)
It’s no secret Michigan is big inside with Thiam back. The Wolverines also communicate and switch well defensively, which they will need every ounce of in order to successfully stalk Mullins and Khamenia when they hunt for kick-out threes. Bill Self noted last season that there isn’t a team with better offensive movement than the Huskies. For a new-look Michigan team still looking to develop a defensive identity early on, they face a team that projects to score in many different ways this season. Against UConn, Michigan will need to protect the three-point line and keep switching like Boynton Jr. already preaches best. If Michigan could get even half of the 12 steals it did against Oakland, it would mean the perimeter defense would have done most of its job.
Michigan’s Moustapha Thiam has the ability to own the defensive paint and make life difficult vs. UConn. How long can he stay on the floor?
Be sure to follow Pete Janny’s live coverage tonight at the TD Garden: @Pete_Janny on X/Twitter.