One of many power conference matchups on Friday's slate, TCU and Michigan face off in Ann Arbor. Who'll get the needed resume-building win?
TV schedule: Friday, November 15th, 6:00 pm ET. FS1
Arena: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
One of the teams who made offseason coaching changes was Michigan, who brought in Coach Dusty May and plenty of transfers from the portal. After beating Cleveland State by 48 points to start the season, they took on Wake Forest last Sunday, in a game that went down to the wire.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they couldn't pull off the victory, falling 72-70. It was a balanced effort on offense, with seven players scoring between 8-11 points. Guard Tre Donaldson was the MVP with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Danny Wolf, the starting forward from Yale, struggled with just four points and six turnovers.
Michigan has the chance for another good non-con win, taking on TCU (3-0). They have three wins over mid-major foes, though the last one was a tight battle with Texas State. The Horned Frogs won 76-71, led by 17 points and five assists from Noah Reynolds, along with 16 from transfer forward Trazarien White.
Like with Michigan, TCU is also balanced on offense. The top six scorers are averaging between 8-13 ppg, led by Vasean Allette, who is putting up 13 ppg in 23 mpg off the bench. An early impressive player to watch has been center Ernest Udeh, who is averaging nearly a double-double (8.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg) through three games.
Both teams are fairly similar, with plenty of guys who could put up 10+ points but not many that can have a massive scoring outing. Whoever manages to do that will give their respective team the advantage in the game. Michigan has the experience against high-major competition, while the Horned Frogs haven't looked overly impressive to date. With the game at Michigan, look for the Big Ten team to get the win.
Prediction: Michigan 73, TCU 66