The margins Michigan must win in its title game rematch with UConn

After announcing it way back in May, Michigan and UConn are finally set for a National Championship rematch on Friday. It’s a bit of a turn-the-tables situation: this year’s Huskies are playing better basketball early, and the Wolverines may be the ones playing with a chip on their shoulder.

Regardless of who’s got the most pros or is projected to bring home the most hardware, this game serves as a litmus test for both teams. For Michigan, it’s a chance to see how gritty this group really is. The stakes are real, and this game gives Michigan its best chance to prove to itself and the world at large that it’s ready to compete for another title.

On Offense

Point blank, UConn’s defense is elite. Michigan looked unstoppable and was playing as well as any team in the country last year before the Huskies held it to 69 points in the title game. And clearly, the Wolverines of now are not the Wolverines of then. At least not yet.

As has become the burgeoning theme of this Michigan team, the backcourt will have to light the way.

“And now it’s different, (Trey McKenney’s) at the top of the scout report,” Mike Boynton Jr. said. “The scout report is to not let him get his comfort shots, be maybe physical with him, and he’s got to adjust the way he approaches that, and uses his ability and the gravity he’s going to draw to make the game easier for JP (Estrella), make the game easier for Quinn (Costello), make the game easier for guys like Ricky (Liburd) and Oscar (Goodman), who won’t be having as much attention on them. … I think that’s the same for Elliot (Cadeau), who will ask to score more than maybe we did last year. Same for Roddy (Gayle), who will ask to playmake more than we did last year.”