Upset-minded Michigan plays No. 4 UCLA tonight at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Michigan (2-0) pounded Michigan Tech and Northeastern to advance to New York, while UCLA (2-0) got all it could handle from Miami (OH) in its regional final, outlasting the RedHawks 64-59.
The two programs have met each of the last six seasons, with the Bruins winning the past four games, including a 69-54 win in Ann Arbor last season. This year's UCLA squad is expected to compete for a spot in its fourth straight Final Four, while the Wolverines are still rebuilding under second-year coach John Beilein.
The Michigan offense, which looked abysmal at times last season, has scored 77 and 76 points in its first two games, with sophomore guard Manny Harris leading the way. The Big Ten Preseason First Teamer followed up his 30-point outburst against MTU with a near-triple double against Northeastern, a game in which he again led all scorers with 26.
To upset the mighty Bruins, however, Harris will need some help. DeShawn Sims will have to provide some frontcourt scoring, and three-point threats Anthony Wright and Stu Douglass will need to be sharp from the outside.
One thing this Bruins team is lacking is strong interior play. With the departure of Kevin Love, UCLA starts Adam Keefe and Alfred Aboya in the frontcourt. Michigan has been burned the past few seasons by a quality big man, but the Bruins don't seem to have that threat this year.
They do, however, have some stingy perimeter defenders. Michigan's Harris went 3-12 from the field against the Bruins last year, and two of the three guards from last season—Darren Collison and Josh Shipp—are back for their senior seasons. While Shipp is a legitimate scoring threat, he has a lot of nights where he's quiet, and if that's the case tonight, UCLA will need its newcomers to step up.
If the UCLA freshman contributors struggle under the bright lights of New York City and Michigan is shooting well from the outside, fans at the Garden might witness the first major upset of the college basketball season.
The winner faces the winner of the Duke/Southern Illinois game, which tips off at 7.
Note: Check back tomorrow for my post-game article.
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