Happy Feast Week. The soured joy of the Michigan basketball loss last Friday against Long Beach State can become sweet once again. Today, the Wolverines begin their journey in the Battle 4 Atlantis against a stacked field of teams. First, they will have to face off against one of the best mid-majors in Memphis.
Michigan basketball road to Battle 4 Atlantis Crown
Michigan basketball’s road to the crown is definitely not the easiest, but definitely not the hardest. To get to the championship, the Wolverines will have to defeat Memphis, and then most likely Arkansas on Thanksgiving day. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Here are three hopes for today’s matchup against the (3-0) Tigers.
1.) Limit David Jones
Two years ago, David Jones was a budding sophomore at DePaul University. Despite the Blue Demons’ struggle as a team, Jones was one of the few bright spots. His 3-level scoring, playmaking, and rebounding abilities were all displayed throughout the season, including putting up the first-ever triple-double in DePaul history. He parlayed this success into transferring to New York’s Big East team, but never really clicked there.
Now, in his senior year, Jones has found his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Through 3 games, the 6’6″ forward leads the Tigers with 15.7 ppg and 7.3 reb/g.
It has been apparent that Michigan’s struggles have come on the defensive end, and limiting Memphis’s star will be the key to success in game one. Despite the talent, in the Tigers’ top lineup, Jones plays at the four at 6’6″. This benefits the Wolverines, as their two through five should be able to match up with him, limiting the impact that screens will have.
2.) Get someone besides Dug and Olivier going early
Dug McDaniel and Olivier Nkamhoua are the clear top 2 players on this Michigan basketball team. In Michigan’s last two wins, it has had a player not named Dug or Olivier score 20 points. Giving the Wolverines another hot hand to go to will open up more opportunities for the top two Wolverines.
So far, we’ve seen both Tschetter and Nimari step up and eclipse that 20-point mark. Who can be the guy today? My guess is Tarris Reed Jr. Memphis is yet to face a great big man and usually runs a small ball lineup. With a change of pace against a starting lineup of two people 6’9″+, it could finally be Reed Jr.’s time to shine.
3.) History will repeat itself for Michigan basketball in the Juwan Howard era
The last time Michigan basketball played in the Battle 4 Atlantis (2020), it ran the table. We’ll see if the Wolverines can recapture some momentum and stay undefeated in The Bahamas during the Juwan Howard era starting today at 5 pm EST.
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