Syracuse took the lead, 32-31, on Michael Gbinije’s jumper with 1:36 to go. UConn then took care of its end of the deal on Wednesday night.
Advertisement
UConn has a game in Hartford Wednesday against Sacred Heart, and the Huskies need to correct their issues quickly. He finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double at SU.
The 61 percent that MI shot from the field was also a new standard for the tournament. In the three games he has played, he dished out 11 assists, though eight of those were in one game. “This year has been good for us, we had some tough games since we’ve been down here, and now we know how to battle in those situations”. We had principles and they stayed solid the whole night. “We just had contributions from every area”. “So I think to be a part of that game, it should be really good”.
Many expected UConn and No. 10 Gonzaga to meet in the championship game.
“I watched Texas A&M and I haven’t seen a bigger, stronger, more physical team in my life”.
Michigan: Had 53 bench points….Scored 20 points off 10 turnovers for the game. “He’s just a great basketball player”.
Aggies head coach Billy Kennedy said despite the loss, his team walks away from the tournament with a positive outlook. After that they play No. 2 Maryland in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 8 and then return to Gampel Pavilion to play Ohio State on December 12. “Again, we’re supposed to be protecting the offense here, not rewarding the defense”. “Don’t count us out, just give us a chance”, Danuel House told the media after scoring 19 points for the second straight game.
No one else on the roster filled a bit of the void as MI hit only two of its final 15 shots to end the half. Bernard Sullivan averages 11 points as well, and Curran Scott went 11-11 from the free throw line en route to 21 points in their last game. “And we will. It’s a great experience for our team to be in that atmosphere three nights in a row”.
UConn led for most of the first half, enjoying efficient early shooting from former Seton Hall Pirate Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller. Aubrey Dawkins and Derrick Walton have contributed well, but there has been minimal contribution beyond those three. 3-pointer got the Wolverines to within 14, Cassell countered with a transition layup. “I feel confident in my team”.
The Aggies led by two at halftime, but struggled to get easy baskets in the final 20 minutes. Josh Perkins is dishing 2.3 assists and Przemek Karnowski is grabbing six rebounds.
“It was a rhythm shot”, said Hamilton. But, with the shooters they have, when the shot clock goes down, they can get the ball to LeVert and he can make plays.
“I just had a lot of open opportunities tonight and was able to cash in”, he said.
And now, barely 16 hours after dispatching Michigan – Syracuse.
While they play in different conferences now, both Ollie and Boeheim said they would be interested in adding the other to the schedule for a future a nonconference series.
Advertisement
“I think we’re going to be better from this”, UConn coach Kevin Ollie said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re ready. Not saying we’re gonna blow everybody out, but we’re gonna be ready”.
