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NCAA Basketball: Key early-season tournament games for 2021-22 season

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 20: Jahvon Quinerly #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the first round game against the Iona Gaels in the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 20, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 20: Jahvon Quinerly #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the first round game against the Iona Gaels in the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 20, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Michigan versus Arizona

All that is needed on Nov.19, 2021, is for Arizona to defeat Wichita State and for Michigan to outlast UNLV in order to set up a final between Arizona and Michigan on Nov.21, 2021, on ESPN.  The intrigue Arizona brings to this game is that aside from the coaching staff and their leading scorer departing, not much has changed for Arizona.

The Wildcats still have four former top-100 recruits including Benedict Mathurin (No.12) and Azuolas Tubelis (No.40) who are appearing on some NBA Big boards. The most exciting news for the fans who will be allowed to fill up the McKale Center is that head coach Tommy Lloyd has pegged Kerr Kriisa as the starting point guard. Kriisa – the Euroleague Youth standout – played just eight games last season, none of which will be as exciting as the Roma Main Event final.

The Wolverines will have nine former top-100 recruits in their line-up highlighted by No.3 from the 2021 class Caleb Houston. Houston a projected top-10 lottery pick will be matched up versus Mathurin at small forward, while Kriisa will battle opposing point guard and Sun Belt Player of the Year De’Vante Jones who transferred from Coastal Carolina during the summer.

If battles in the backcourt do not excite you, the Wildcats have 7’1 Christian Koloko – who will be giving up thirty pounds – to slow down the 7’1 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Dickinson. A game that will feature 13 former top-100 recruits and six players featured in the top-100 of NBA draft big boards, a final between the Wildcats and Wolverines sounds really good.