College Hoops Picks Feb. 7, 2009: Michigan Wolverines at Connecticut Huskies

Michigan Wolverines (5-6, 15-8) at Connecticut Huskies (10-1, 21-1)

Saturday, Feb. 7—6:00 PM EST

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Preview

Michigan (5-6, 15-8) is looking to take down another top, non-conference team this Saturday. Their last big non-conference win? 81-73 upset of Duke.

But things are a little different for the Wolverines this time around. For starters, they do not have home court advantage. And there isn't a lot of buzz about how they should be ranked. That's what happens when you go 2-5 in your last seven games.

Connecticut (10-1, 21-1), on the other hand, is now the pride and joy of the Big East—they got that title after upsetting Louisville last Monday (and it helps that Marquette just lost to South Florida). The Huskies have now won ten straight and are sporting the top national ranking.

Hasheem Thabeet, the Huskies star center, gained national attention two games ago when he swatted and grabbed his way to his first triple double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks).

He then upped his stock even more with his knockout double-double against Louisville (not to mention he showed off his 15-foot jumper). He's averaging 13.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game—pretty ridiculous if you have to match up with him down low.

The other Huskie in the frontcourt is a handful as well—Jeff Adrien is no longer averaging a double-double (14.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG), but he has scored in double figured in all but two games this season.

Michgan's star lies in its backcourt—sophomore guard Manny Harris is averaging 17.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.4 APG. He was instrumental in their upset of Duke earlier in the season, and he's been getting ready for the physical matchup that this Big East foe is sure to offer.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Michigan	15-8	5-6	7-7	49	17	68.5	63.7
Connecticut	21-1	10-1	10-7	4	26	78.6	61.3

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Michigan	42.0	44.0	32.3	32.5	77.2	35.3	6.3	15.3	11.7
Connecticut	48.8	37.9	36.6	31.5	69.5	43.6	6.4	15.6	12.1

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Prediction

Current Line: Connecticut -16.0

Want to see Ryan's prediction? Head over to CBBPlace.com and check it out!

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*