No. 7 Michigan battles No. 12 Gonzaga in early test initially appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Two undefeated heavyweights collide on the Players Era Festival championship closing in Las Vegas tonight as No. 7 Michigan (6-0) hosts No. 12 Gonzaga (7-0).
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Both groups have been probably the most dominant on the Players Era Festival, largely due to their means to dominate the paint.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike and Braden Huff have been instrumental in the success of the Zags this season. In Tuesday’s 100-61 blowout win over Maryland, Huff scored 20 factors in 24 minutes, and Ike added 13 factors and grabbed six rebounds.
The two groups dwell and die in the paint, which has been key to Gonzaga’s good begin to the season. Huff leads the workforce in FG% flattening 67 % of his pictures, averaging 16.0 factors per sport. Ike will not be far behind, taking pictures 54 % from the ground whereas main the workforce in scoring.
It is a significant cause that Gonzaga is without doubt one of the finest scoring groups in the nation, averaging 94.0 factors per sport, which is seventeenth finest in the nation. The two bigs have but to come across a protection that may gradual them down, however that would change towards Michigan.
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The Wolverines are coming off a convincing 102-72 victory over No. 21 Auburn. Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 17 factors, and Morez Johnson Jr. added 15. Like Gonzaga, they’re led by a superior entrance court docket with a trio of bigs: 6’9 Yaxel Lendeborg, 6’9 Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara, who’s 7’3.
The trio has been the most effective in the nation at defending contained in the perimeter. Michigan comes into Wednesday night time’s contest third in the nation, permitting solely 35.2 % on subject objectives, and can face their hardest problem of the season. Gonzaga, like Michigan, prides itself on defending, permitting 57.8 factors per sport, which is sixth finest in the nation.
The Players Era Festival championship has seen some nice matchups, and this may very well be one of the best of the bunch with two elite defenses going through off towards each other.
An further $1 million is at stake for the successful workforce, and this sport may very well be a preview of what’s to come back down the road in March.
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