No. 1 Arizona Takes on Michigan
After winning their first 10 games of the 2013-2014 season, the Arizona Wildcats (10-0) have climbed to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in 11 years, but maintaining their spot atop the polls should become even more challenging as their incredibly stacked schedule rolls on, starting tonight with a road game against the Michigan Wolverines (6-3).
The undefeated Cats have already notched some impressive high-profile victories against the likes of Duke and San Diego State this season, but they’ve never played at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, where the Wolverines have made mincemeat out of visitors, winning five games this season by an average of 34.6 points.
“We’re getting ready to play one of our biggest games on our schedule at Michigan,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said, according to ESPN.com. “We’re going to have to be at our very best in that type of arena against that type of competition.”
While they’ve certainly been sharp against inferior foes this season, the Wolverines have historically struggled against the Wildcats and against No. 1 teams. Michigan has won just two of its eight all-time meetings versus Arizona and is a lousy 2-23 against No. 1 ranked squads.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us, but it’s going to be a great event,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to get a quality win. And I know Crisler will be jacked up on Saturday.”
Despite losing last season’s AP Player of the Year, Trey Burke, to the NBA draft during the offseason and despite being against the No. 1 team in the nation, Michigan is, incredibly, on the favorite line in this match-up. The Wolverines are actually two-point favorites today and considering they’ve won 37 of their last 39 at Crisler Arena, that home court advantage certainly has a lot to do with it.
However, the biggest measuring stick for bettors in evaluating this game will likely be each team’s match-up against a mutual opponent, which, happens to be Duke this year. Michigan fell to the Blue Devils 79-69 on Dec. 3, whereas the Wildcats beat Duke 72-66 on Nov. 29.
Both teams have talented players who can both score and defend, so the game will undoubtedly be a close one, but it’s hard to bet against an unbeaten team and one which is the No. 1 ranked team in the land in this case.
Look for Arizona to cover +2 points tonight as it extends its winning streak to 11 games this season.
