NCAAB Betting News and Notes Saturday, December 10th, 2016

NCAAB Knowledge

Rhode Island is playing 4th straight top 100 game; they’re 2-3 overall in top 10 games, with best win by 5 over Cincinnati; 6-7 F Martin is out for URI which hurts their depth. Rams beat Houston 67-57 LY, in brickiest where teams combined to go 3-23 on arc and URI was 13-27 on foul line. Houston is 6-2, losing its two top 100 games, to LSU/Arkansas; their best win is by 1 over #102 Vermont on a neutral floor. A-14 road underdogs are 9-7 vs spread. AAC home favorites are 9-6. AAC favorites are 2-5 vs spread in last seven games vs A-14 opponents.

Marquette-Wisconsin are 7-7 in last 14 meetings with no team winning three in row during that time; Badgers are 3-2 in last five visits to Milwaukee. Wisconsin is 8-2 but lost its only true road game at Creighton by 12; they lost finals of Maui Classic to North Carolina. Badgers have whole team back from LY- they’re 4-2 in top 100 games. Marquette won its last five games; they’re 2-2 in top 100 games, losing by 18 to Michigan on neutral floor in their only top 50 game. Eagles play #24 tempo, Badgers play #348 tempo. Big 14 teams are 16-15 vs spread in last 31 games vs Big East opponents.

Oklahoma is young team subbing a lot; they’re 6-2 vs schedule #275, losing two of three top 100 games- their best win is over Clemson on a neutral floor. Sooners are making 41.9% on arc (#9) but turning ball over 20.9% of time (#251). Wichita State won its only true road game by 15 at Colorado State; Shockers are 8-2 overall; 1-2 vs top 100 teams, with best win over #92 LSU, 0-2 vs top 50 clubs, losing by 10 to Louisville, 5 to Michigan State in Atlantis. Wichita is forcing turnovers 22.6% of time, has #9 eFG% defense. Wichita is shooting 38.4% behind arc.

Butler rallied to win 78-76 at Cincinnati LY, after trailing by 9 with 12:31 left; Bulldogs were 8-0 before losing last game 72-71 at #125 Indiana State- Butler lost despite making 10-18 on arc. Bulldogs are forcing turnovers 24.5% of time (#10), are 4-0 vs top 80 teams with only one of those wins at home. Cincinnati is 1-1 in top 100 games, winning in OT at Iowa State, losing to URI on neutral floor. AAC road underdogs are 6-9 vs spread; Big East home favorites are 15-9. Big East teams are 8-1 in last nine games vs AAC teams (6-3 vs spread).

Xavier went out west in last week and lost by 10 at Baylor, by 2 at Colorado; Musketeers are 7-2 with neutral floor win over Clemson and two wins over Northern Iowa (3-2 vs top 100 teams). Xavier has played #39 schedule, with no opponents outside top 150, unusual for Big East team. Utah is 6-1 vs schedule #347, with only loss by 9 at home to Big East’s Butler, only team they’ve played that is ranked above #227- this is also their first game away from home. Big East home favorites are 15-9 vs spread; Pac-12 underdogs are 5-14 away from home.

UConn is struggling with youth/injuries; they’re 3-4 vs schedule #69, with three wins by total of seven points. Huskies are #257 experience team with #299 eFG%; they can’t shoot, but they did upset Syracuse in MSG Monday- they won only other D-I true road game by 3 at LMU. Ohio State is 7-2, but lost its last game at home in OT to #220 Florida Atlantic; Buckeyes are 1-1 vs top 100 teams, losing by hoop at Virginia, beating Providence by 5. AAC road underdogs are 6-9 vs spread; Big 14 home favorites are 22-24. AAC teams are 8-5 vs spread in last 13 games with Big 14 opponents.

Arizona State is 3-4 in its last seven games, 0-4 vs top 100 teams, with three of four losses by 19+ points. Hurley ripped his team after 97-64 loss to Purdue in NYC Tuesday; curious to see what he gets out of them here. San Diego State has slipped some; they missed NCAAs LY, are 4-3 this year, losing last couple games to Loyola IL, Grand Canyon; Aztecs are #262 at forcing turnovers which reduces number of easy baskets they get- their eFG% is #295- they shoot 40.8% inside arc. Mountain West teams are 17-10 vs spread in last 27 games vs Pac-12.

NC-Wilmington won its two true road games, at Eastern Kentucky by 9 in OT, at Western Michigan by 5; Seahawks are #73 experience team that forces turnovers 24.1% (#18) of time- they’ve played schedule #107). St Bonaventure won its last five games; their best wins are over Siena/Buffalo- they lost only top 100 game to Florida by 5 in Lakeland. Bonnies are #92 in experience, are decent protecting ball- their subs play 9th-least minutes in country. A-14 home favorites are 13-24 vs spread. CAA road underdogs are 10-6 against the spread.

VCU won five of last six games vs former CAA rival Old Dominion; Rams won three of last four visits here, but lost 73-67 in last one two years ago. VCU lost last two games to Illinois/Georgia Tech after a 6-1 start; they’re #25 experience team thats played #88 schedule- this is their first true road game. Old Dominion is 5-3 vs schedule #44; they lost 51-39 at URI in last game. Monarchs are bad at offense, with 5th-worst eFG% in country- they shoot 28.6% on arc, 37.7% inside it, 60.6% on line. Conference USA underdogs are 25-24 this year, 3-5 at home.

Michigan is #60 experience team that plays pace #348- they lost only true road game by 15 at South Carolina. Wolverines are 3-2 vs top 100 teams, with other loss by 3 at home to Virginia Tech- their best win was over #36 Marquette on a neutral floor. UCLA is 9-0 vs schedule #211; they won at Kentucky, beat Nebraska of Big 14 by 11 on neutral floor. Bruins have really good guards, play at pace #10, are shooting 45.4% on arc, 60.8% inside it- they’ve got #1 eFG% in country. Big 14 underdogs are 19-14 vs spread, Pac-12 home favorites are 20-19.

Colorado outscored BYU 13-0 in first 4:14 of second half in 92-83 home win over the Cougars LY; Buffs made 10-24 on arc in that game. Colorado is 7-2 this year, beating Portland by 15 in only true road game so far; Buffs are #48 experience team with #17 eFG% defense. BYU is 1-2 vs top 100 teams, losing to Valparaiso by 3, USC by 7- their best win is over #56 Princeton at home. Cougars play #3 pace in country but are shooting just 29% on arc. Pac-12 teams are 14-12 vs spread in 26 games vs WCC opponents, 11-7 as favorites.

National champ Vlllanova is 9-0 vs schedule #79; they’ve got four top 100 wins, but 79-76 win at Purdue is their only top 50 win. Wildcats have #7 eFG% in country, are making 40.6% of their 3’s- they’re #91 experience team and that is quality experience. Notre Dame is 9-0 vs schedule #336; they beat Colorado by 4, Northwestern by 6 on neutral floor- only other decent teams they played were Iowa/Ft Wayne, both at home- they’ve played five teams ranked #273 or lower. Big East favorites are 12-13 away from home; ACC underdogs are 6-11- this game is in Newark, NJ

East Tennessee State is 7-1 against a lame schedule; they’ve got lot of transfers/JC kids, so they’re little older than most teams. Buccaneers are forcing turnovers 22.9% of time, have #3 eFG% in country, making 62.6% of 2-pointers (#1 in country). ETSU lost at NC-Wilmington by 9 in only true road game this year; their best win is over #165 Cal-Irvine. Dayton is 1-2 vs top 100 teams, losing to Saint Mary’s/Nebraska by total of six points- they won by 5 at Alabama. SoCon road underdogs are 13-10 vs spread. A-14 home favorites are 13-24.

Armadillosports.com

Saturday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Duke at UNLV

For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, Duke and UNLV will meet Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas. These storied programs haven’t faced each other since the 1991 national semifinals when Duke won a 79-77 decision over the previously-undefeated Runnin’ Rebels. Anderson Hunt’s brick at the buzzer was off the mark to give the Blue Devils the thrilling victory. Hunt had been put in a bad spot when Larry Johnson passed on an open jumper from the wing with five seconds remaining. Bobby Hurley’s pivotal 3-ball with just over a minute remaining was crucial, as it sliced UNLV’s five-point lead down to two. Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels had run Duke out of Denver by a 103-73 count in the 1990 NCAA Tournament finals the year before.

As of late Friday afternoon, one offshore book had Duke (9-1 straight up, 5-4 against the spread) installed as a 20.5-point favorite.

Duke is playing its first true road game here, but it has played four neutral-court games outside of Durham already. The Blue Devils beat Florida 84-74 as seven-point favorites Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 158 combined points soared ‘over’ the 146.5-point total. Luke Kennard stole the show with a sensational performance that was reminiscent of the way fellow southpaw Chris Mullin used to light up MSG when he played for St. John’s in the mid-1980s. Kennard countered every UF run with one of his silky-smooth jumpers. The sophomore shooting guard knocked down 11-of-16 shots, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, on his way to a game-high 29 points. Amile Jefferson added 24 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. The senior power forward made 11-of-14 shots. Jayson Tatum, who was playing in just his second collegiate game, scored 22 points and pulled down eight boards.

Kennard is scoring a team-high 20.4 points per game. The lefty is making 52.2 percent of his shots from the field, 41.0 percent from beyond the arc and 88.1 percent from the free-throw line. Kennard is also averaging a 6.2 rebounds per game and has a 31/17 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

Grayson Allen is one of the team’s veterans. The junior, who played a key role in Duke’s win over Wisconsin in the finals of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, is scoring at a 15.9 PPG clip. He has been dealing with an ankle injury for a few weeks, but only missed one game. Allen has dealt out a team-high 36 assists compared to 18 turnovers. His shot has suffered as he’s making only 36.0 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from long distance.

Jefferson is averaging 15.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He’s also rejecting 2.0 shots per game. Frank Jackson is also scoring in double figures (14.0 PPG).

Tatum and Marques Bolden missed the first eight games, but they’ve played in the last two outings. In only 14 minutes of playing time, Bolden has contributed seven points, five rebounds and one blocked shot. Harry Giles, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, still hasn’t touched the court. However, Mike Krzyzewski has indicated that he’ll likely make his season debut before Christmas. The likely target date is a Dec. 19 home game vs. Tennessee State.

Duke owns quality wins over Rhode Island, Michigan State, Florida and Penn State. With the exception of the win over the Spartans at Cameron Indoor Stadium, all of those wins were on neutral floors. The Blue Devils took their only loss to Kansas by a 77-75 count at MSG as 2.5-point favorites. Kennard had 22 points, five boards and five assists in the losing effort vs. KU.

UNLV (5-3 SU, 5-2 ATS) returned only three players from last season’s roster. The new head coach is Marvin Menzies, who was previously at New Mexico State. Menzies scored the job after one of the stranger coaching searches in recent college basketball history. First, UNLV courted Cincinnati’s Mic Cronin, who visited Las Vegas and was given royal treatment. According to AD Tina Kunzer-Murphy, Cronin verbally agreed to contract terms before leaving Vegas to go back to Cincinnati, where he signed a contract extension with the Bearcats 36 hours later. The whole episode played out in the press and left UNLV looking extremely foolish. Everything appeared good, however, when Arkansas Little Rock’s Chris Beard was hired after an impressive NCAA Tournament showing. But then 17 days later, Beard bolted for Texas Tech because of his previous ties to the school, prompting UNLV to settle for Menzies.

With five UNLV players turning pro early, only two of which were drafted, Menzies was left with a stiff challenge in filling out the roster. He went about it by signing a pair of grad transfers, five freshmen and three juco transfers.

UNLV is off its worst loss of the season at Arizona State, where the Sun Devils captured a 97-73 win as seven-point home favorites. Jalen Poyser scored a team-best 20 points, while Tyrell Green added 18 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.

UNLV has posted a 1-1 spread record in a pair of underdog situations. The Runnin’ Rebels lost 63-59 to TCU but took the cash as 5.5-point home ‘dogs. They took their other loss of the year in the opener, as South Alabama came to Thomas & Mack and won a 76-68 decision as a six-point road ‘dog.

Poyner, a sophomore guard, is averaging team-highs in scoring (17.5 PPG) and assists (3.9 APG). Christian Jones, a grad transfer from St. John’s, is averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. Green (12.8 PPG) is hitting 48.5 percent of his shots from downtown and pulling down 6.2 RPG.

UNLV has won four of its six home games while compiling a 5-1 spread record.

Totals have been an overall wash (4-4) for the Rebels, but they’ve seen the ‘under’ go 4-2 in their six home contests.

The ‘under’ is 7-2 overall for Duke, but the ‘over’ has hit in two of its last three outings.

ESPN will provide the broadcast at 5:15 p.m. Eastern.

Michigan at UCLA

UCLA (9-0 SU, 7-2 ATS) has had all week to move past a monster 97-92 upset win over Kentucky as an 11-point underdog last Saturday at Rupp Arena. Six players scored in double figures led by Isaac Hamilton’s 19 points. T.J. Leaf produced 17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one blocked shot, while Lonzo Ball, Bryce Alford and Thomas Welsh scored 14 points apiece. Ball, a dynamic freshman point guard, finished with seven assists and six boards. The Bruins made 35-of-66 attempts from the field (53.0%), including 10-of-23 from long distance (43.5%).

As of late Friday afternoon, the Bruins were favored by 9.5 points at one offshore shop.

UCLA leads the nation in field-goal percentage (55.1%) and 3-point shooting (45.4%). Also, the Bruins are second in the country in scoring (97.0 PPG).

Steve Alford’s team is unbeaten in five home games at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are 3-2 ATS.

Hamilton is leading UCLA in scoring with an 18.1 PPG average. The senior shooting guard has made 45.3 percent of his launches from 3-point land. Leaf (17.2 PPG) is pulling down 9.4 RPG and has made 67.4 percent of his shots from the field. Alford, the senior guard who is the head coach’s son, is averaging 15.3 PPG with a 25/11 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Ball, a true freshman who was a five-star recruit, is averaging 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Ball has drained 55.4 percent of his shots from the field and 43.5 percent from downtown. He has a stellar 84/24 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Ball has dished out 10 assists or more in four games.

Michigan (7-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) has been an underdog just once this year, beating SMU 76-54 as a 1.5-point ‘dog at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Derrick Walton Jr. led the winners with 23 points and five assists without a turnover.

Michigan lost 61-46 at South Carolina as a three-point road favorite on Nov. 23. The Wolverines took their second loss at home to Va. Tech (73-70) a week later as 6.5-point ‘chalk.’ They’ve won back-to-back games since then.

Michigan is off a 53-50 win over Texas on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines failed to cover the number for a third straight game as 9.5-point favorites. They scored the last five points of the game. Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner produced the go-ahead bucket at crunch time and then blocked a shot by Texas’s Eric Davis with five seconds left. Wagner finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Walton had more turnovers (five) than assists (two) and scored only seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field. D.J. Wilson and Duncan Robinson contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively.

John Beilein’s squad is ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense (58.2 PPG). The Wolverines are eighth in free-throw shooting, burying 79.1 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe.

Michigan has a balanced scoring attack with seven players averaging at least 6.9 PPG. Zak Irvin is scoring a team-best 13.6 PPG. Walton is averaging 12.1 points and 3.8 RPG while dishing out 35 assists compared to 18 turnovers.

The ‘over’ is 6-3 overall for the Bruins, 4-1 in their home games.

The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Wolverines, 1-0 in their lone road assignment.

These schools have met nine times since 1998 when the Bruins captured an 85-72 win over Michigan as a 6.5-point underdog in a Round of 32 matchup at the Ga. Dome in Atlanta. (Baron Davis tore his ACL in that game.) Since then, they have split eight games. In the last encounter in Ann Arbor on Nov. 23 of 2011, Michigan cruised to a 79-63 victory as a 5.5-point home ‘chalk.’

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

A pair of unbeaten teams and former Big East rivals will collide at noon Eastern in Newark, N.J., at the Never Forget Tribute Classic. CBS will have the telecast with Villanova, the defending national champion, taking on Notre Dame, which has advanced to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons. As of late Friday afternoon, an offshore book had Villanova (9-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) favored by six points. Jay Wright’s squad has won eight of its nine games by double-digit margins. The Wildcats took the cash in their only prior single-digit ‘chalk’ spot by winning 79-76 at Purdue as 2.5-point road favorites. Josh Hart leads ‘Nova in scoring (17.6 PPG), assists (3.8 APG) and rebounds (6.7 RPG). Notre Dame (9-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) has won seven of its nine games by double-digit margins. The Fighting Irish has three quality wins over Iowa at home and over Northwestern and Colorado on a neutral floor.

Cincinnati will visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on Butler at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports 1. One offshore had the Bulldogs listed as five-point home favorites late Friday afternoon. Butler just took its first loss of the year a few nights ago, coughing up a late lead in a 72-71 loss at Indiana State. The Bearcats, who are ninth in the nation in scoring defense (58.1 PPG), have seen the ‘under’ go 5-2 overall. They’ve been an underdog once this year in their lone road assignment, winning 55-54 at Iowa State last Thursday as 6.5-point ‘dogs.

UT Arlington won its seventh straight game and handed Saint Mary’s its first loss on Thursday night. The Mavericks beat up on the Gaels 65-51 as 15-point road underdogs, hooking up money-line supporters with a 10/1 return (paid $1,000 on $100 wagers). Scott Cross’s team also has a win at Texas during its winning streak. Since Nov. 12, the Mavs haven’t had more than two days off between games, but they now have eight days off until playing at Bradley. Don’t be surprised to find Scott Cross’s team in the Round of 32 come March.

Wisconsin and Marquette are set to square off at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports 1 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. One offshore had the Badgers favored by 2.5 points late Friday afternoon.

East Tennessee State brings a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown at Dayton. The Buccaneers, who were 7.5-point ‘dogs late Friday afternoon, are led by T.J. Cromer, who is averaging a team-best 18.2 PPG.

UCLA hosts Michigan
By: Dave Schoenholt
StatFox,com

UCLA looks to avoid a letdown against Michigan in the Bruins’ first game after toppling Kentucky.

November 26, 1997. That was the last time the UCLA Bruins were ranked as high as they are today. A defeat, in Lexington, of then #1 Kentucky last Saturday will do that for a program. Just late last year, the faithful in Westwood had been calling for Bruins Coach, Steve Alford, to be canned. Those calls may once again arise if UCLA doesn’t capitalize on their early-season momentum and do something of substance in March. That said, the 97-92 win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena (UCLA +10.5), especially impressive due to the fact that it was everyone but celebrated freshman guard Lonzo Ball who drove the UCLA bus to victory, will earn the notice and respect of even the most critical doubters. The Bruins have coasted to cover their last six ATS and are 7-2 ATS on the season and are now 3-0 (3-0 ATS) against Power 7 foes since adding Kentucky to a list of victims that already included Nebraska and Texas A&M. Their opponent in the Wolverines hasn’t had a week to bask in the glow of a road win against the nation’s number 1 team. That said, this will be Michigan’s sixth game against Power 7 teams after recently dispatching Texas (53-50, UM -10) at home on Tuesday. The Wolverines are 3-2 (2-3 ATS) in those games which include impressive early-season neutral court wins over SMU and Marquette and subsequently losses at South Carolina and hosting Virginia Tech. Historically, this will be the 10th meeting of these two teams since 1998 with UCLA holding a 5-4 (5-4 ATS) edge. Michigan has won the last two times, in 2008 and 2011, both played on neutral courts. UCLA has teased us before - as recent as last season – boasting big wins over Kentucky (at Pauley Pavilion) and North Carolina. The Bruins haven’t shown the capability to sustain recent success, as last season’s mediocre 7-8 (4-11 ATS) record after a win shows. UCLA was also 2-5 (3-4 ATS) with 4+ days off last season. Michigan is 2-4 ATS after a win this year, and a similarly mediocre 10-12 ATS after a win last season.

The statistical markers for this team are impressive, especially on offense. If you can score 97 points in Rupp Arena against one of the best defensive teams in the country, then offensively the sky is the limit. The Bruins rank number two in the country in scoring offense (97.0 PPG) and tops in the country in numerous other offensive categories including assists-per-game, shooting percentage, and effective FG%. The Bruins close out games well, leading the country with 51.6 second half points per game. That said, they face an opponent in Michigan unlike any other they’ve played this season. UCLA wants to play at warp speed (79 possessions per-game, 10th NCAA); Michigan wants to play at a snail’s pace (64.9 possessions per-game, 347th NCAA), only faster than Virginia amongst Power 7 schools. Can UCLA be as effective in the half-court as they are running up and down? Thanks to five starters who average in double-figures and a sixth man (G Aaron Holiday) who could start on most teams in America (12.9 PPG, 4.1 APG), the issue for UCLA won’t be talent but focus (after six days off). Michigan doesn’t have the depth or athleticism to keep up with UCLA, unless UCLA lets them. The Bruins will be looking for a more steady performance from the aforementioned Lonzo Ball (14.6 PPG, 9.3 APG), the nation’s assist leader. As arguably a taller version of the second coming of Jason Kidd thus far in his early career, Ball has been the catalyst for UCLA’s meteoric rise, but did turn it over six times in Rupp Arena last Saturday and let go of five turnovers in their win over Texas A&M. Michigan doesn’t go for many steals and doesn’t boast Kentucky (or Texas A&M’s) athleticism, which should give Ball the opportunity for a bounce-back if he can be patient in the half-court. Fellow freshman T.J. Leaf (17.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG) did the honors of subduing Kentucky with a masterful 17-point, 13-rebound, five-assist outing last Saturday. Leaf’s surprising and immediate early-season production has his NBA draft stock rapidly rising. Lost in the luster of their two star freshmen is the steady improvement of all of the Bruins’ holdovers: G Isaac Hamilton (18.0 PPG) leads the team in scoring, C Thomas Welsh (11.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG) is a double-double machine, also blocking 2.0 shots a game, and G Bryce Alford (15.3 PPG) has transformed from a cocky gunner and ill-suited point guard to a selfless team player in giving up three shots a game to accommodate all the new offensive firepower. Look especially for Leaf and Welsh to come up big with second-chance opportunities on the glass against a poor-rebounding Michigan team.

Coming into a road environment where they’re clearly outmanned will not be an easy task for head coach John Beilein’s Wolverines, but Beilein is one of the best strategists in the country and the Wolverines’ style is unlike anything Lonzo Ball and Co. have played against this season. UCLA snuck by a slow-paced Texas A&M team that pounded the ball into the paint, but hasn’t seen a slow-paced team like Michigan with constant off-the-ball movement and screening. Michigan could very well catch UCLA off-guard. The Wolverines will have to shoot it better than they did against Texas on Tuesday (31.6% 3PT) or in the loss to South Carolina in their last true road game of the season to date (19.2% FG, 7.7% 3PT). UCLA may let people score based on the pace of their play, but they’ve been solid in holding their last five opponents under 42.0% FG. The Wolverines ride an exciting last-second win over Texas into Pauley Pavilion, led by the hero of that contest, emerging Sophomore F Moritz Wagner (10.4 PPG, 62.5% FG). Wagner scored the go ahead basket on one end and had the game-saving block in the final seconds to secure Michigan’s victory. Wagner has hit double-figures in each of his last four games (14.8 PPG). Frontcourt mate D.J Wilson (7.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG) will be key in keeping UCLA quiet in the paint and off the boards. UCLA will run rampant in the paint without Wilson in the game. The Wolverines only got a combined 10 points from senior leaders Zak Irvin (13.6 PPG) and Derrick Walton Jr. (12.1 PPG) against Texas (4-for-17 FG combined), something that must turn around if Michigan is to compete on Saturday.