No. 7 Michigan battles No. 12 Gonzaga in early test originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Two undefeated heavyweights collide at the Players Era Festival championship final in Las Vegas tonight as No. 7 Michigan (6-0) hosts No. 12 Gonzaga (7-0).
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Both teams have been the most dominant at the Players Era Festival, largely because of their ability to dominate the paint.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike and Braden Huff have been instrumental in the success of the Zags this season. In Tuesday’s 100-61 blowout win over Maryland, Huff scored 20 points in 24 minutes, and Ike added 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The two teams live and die in the paint, which has been key to Gonzaga’s perfect start to the season. Huff leads the team in FG% knocking down 67 percent of his shots, averaging 16.0 points per game. Ike is not far behind, shooting 54 percent from the floor while leading the team in scoring.
It is a major reason that Gonzaga is one of the best scoring teams in the nation, averaging 94.0 points per game, which is 17th best in the nation. The two bigs have yet to encounter a defense that can slow them down, but that could change against Michigan.
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The Wolverines are coming off a convincing 102-72 victory over No. 21 Auburn. Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 17 points, and Morez Johnson Jr. added 15. Like Gonzaga, they are led by a superior front court with a trio of bigs: 6’9 Yaxel Lendeborg, 6’9 Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara, who is 7’3.
The trio has been one of the best in the nation at defending inside the perimeter. Michigan comes into Wednesday night’s contest third in the nation, allowing only 35.2 percent on field goals, and will face their toughest challenge of the season. Gonzaga, like Michigan, prides itself on defending, allowing 57.8 points per game, which is sixth best in the nation.
The Players Era Festival championship has seen some great matchups, and this could be the best of the bunch with two elite defenses facing off against one another.
An extra $1 million is at stake for the winning team, and this game could be a preview of what is to come down the line in March.
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