Arizona Continues to Roll, Michigan Continues to Disappoint

The Arizona Wildcats played their most complete game of basketball last night, albeit against a shoddy Utah Valley team. The 2-7 Wolverines dropped the game by a final score of 86-57, advancing the Wildcats to 9-0 on the season.

Stanley Johnson scored in double digits yet again, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson picked up his first double-double of the season and TJ McConnell continues to be the driving force of this team. With appearances from Craig Victor, who is still developing in his role, Matt Korcheck, Drew Mellon and Jacob Hazzard, this game was clearly in control of the Wildcats. Despite the game control, the Wildcats never let up.

The Michigan Wolverines will make their way to Tucson on Saturday, hoping to end their embarrassing meltdown. Unlike football, they can’t blame this on Rich Rodriguez. Last week, they lost to New Jersey Institute of Technology by a final score of 72-70. But things got worse, they dropped yet another home game to Eastern Michigan last night by a final score of 45-42.

These losses can tell us a few things. Either Michigan is just really that bad, going through a really tough time or they’re looking ahead to Arizona. Either way, they’re going to be playing with a fire underneath them this Saturday. Zak Irvin and Caris LeVert can’t do it all for them. Together the two combine for about 50% of Michigan’s offense. If Michigan can’t beat these opponents at home, it’ll be interesting to see how they respond in an environment as hostile as the McKale Center.

For a game that had so much hype going into the season, Michigan has been one of the most disappointing teams in America. After a big win against Syracuse earlier, ranking as high as #17 in the AP poll, this was sure to be a prime time matchup. So thanks, Michigan, for making this game less appealing than we once all thought.