A potential major opportunity is at stake in the PK85 Invitational final for either Alabama or UConn. Who will win when they face off?
TV schedule: Friday, November 25th, 9:30 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon
There were a number of quality matchups in the quarterfinals of both the Invitational and Legacy brackets of the PK85 Tournaments. One of the few that wasn’t was UConn dominating Oregon by an 83-59 final score. East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton, who had a triple-double earlier this season, led all scorers with 23 points, with 19 coming in the first half.
Newton was one of five Huskies in double figures, with guard Jordan Hawkins chipping in with 18 points. Now at 6-0, the ranked Big East program will now take on its toughest opponent of the season in the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0).
The Tide had a tougher time with Michigan State, going back and forth for the first 25 minutes. However, freshman wing Brandon Miller, who is averaging over 20 ppg so far this year, had a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds on 8/19 shooting from the field. Noah Gurley had 12 points off the bench, while both Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears each had five assists dished out.
There are a number of matchups that could have an impact on deciding this game. The first is UConn’s leading scorer Adama Sanogo going up against sophomore Charles Bediako at the center position. The next is how the Crimson Tide guards deal with Newton on the perimeter. And look for any Huskie guard with size to be on Miller of Alabama throughout the game.
The winner of this game takes on the winner of Iowa State or North Carolina. So barring a massive upset, either the Huskies or Crimson Tide will have a chance at knocking off the No. 1 team in the country in the finals of the PK Invitational bracket. In what should be a close matchup on Friday night, I have Alabama pulling ahead slightly.
Prediction: Alabama 77, UConn 71