Michigan Basketball: Livers leads hunting Wolverines into Louisville
By Bob Heyrman
What a difference a week can make. The Michigan Basketball team soared from being an unranked team to fourth in the country. Tonight, it’s a massive test against the countries’ top-ranked Louisville Cardinals.
It’s been a week to remember for Michigan Basketball, who enters the night ranked as the fourth-best team in the country. It’s a battle of the undefeated tonight as the Wolverines (7-0) take on top-ranked Louisville (7-0) in the battle of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
While plenty of eyes are on the Wolverines cross-state rival Michigan State Spartans who host Duke this evening, the marquee match-up is the Cardinals hosting the Wolverines. It’s must-see TV tonight.
Michigan Basketball entered the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament as an unranked team just a week ago. A pair of cogent wins over 6th ranked North Carolina and following it up by blowing out Gonzaga, who was the 8th ranked team in the nation, Michigan soared to become the 4th ranked team in the country.
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It’s been nothing short of a tremendous start to Juwan Howard‘s tenor as Michigan basketball’s head coach. The Wolverines are a perfect 7-0 on the season, entering the night with an opportunity to solidify themselves as the best team in the county with a victory.
Although it’s extremely early in the season and these rankings don’t do anything for ‘talk to me in March’ guy. It’s still an impressive start for a first-time head coach with plenty of pressure on his shoulders to live up to the program’s expectations, especially after the success John Beilein saw in Ann Arbor.
It’s a match-up tonight that should provide a plethora of scoring. Through the first 7 games of the season, both teams are averaging North of 80 points per game. Michigan allows 66 points per game, and Louisville allows 61. Both teams, on average, win their games but double digits, and I mean high double digits. Michigan’s average margin of victory is 16.4 points, and the Cardinals a whopping 20.1.
Isaiah Livers has turned into a star for the Wolverines this season averaging 17 points per night. Center John Teske is a force on the glass, reeling in 9.7 boards to go with his 13.3 points per game. Zavier Simpson remains the facilitator, nearly averaging 10 assists per game to go with his 12.3 points per night. That’s the big three for the Wolverines, but both Eli Brooks and David Dejulus both can score well into double figures on any given night, leaving Michigan Basketball’s offense lethal.
Louisville star forward Jordan Nwora is averaging 22PPG, along with pulling down 7 boards on average. Nwora, a junior, has the potential to be a future NBA player if he continues to develop as the season wears on. Both seniors Dwayne Sutton and Steven Enoch compliment Nwora very well in the paint, each scoring 11 PPG and ripping down 8 boards a night. John Teske will have his work cut out for him tonight.
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What: (4) Michigan Wolverines at (1) Louisville Cardinals
When: Dec. 3, 2019, 7:30 PM Est.
Where: Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
How to Watch: ESPN
Betting Line: Louisville -5.5
Previous Matchup: Wolverines 73-69