No. 4 UConn will face No. 16 Michigan in a college basketball national championship rematch on Friday at TD Garden in Boston, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Huskies opened the season with an 86-46 victory over Gardner-Webb, while the Wolverines defeated Oakland 84-68 in their opener.
UConn enters as a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under of 142.5 points. Head coach Dan Hurley earned his 200th career win in the season opener, as Braylon Mullins led the Huskies with 20 points, including 11 in the second half, and Na'jai Hines added 12 points and 12 rebounds. UConn finished last season 34-6 but fell to Michigan 69-63 in the national title game.
Michigan aims to become the first Big Ten team to win back-to-back national championships. The Wolverines lost their top three scorers to the NBA but return guard Elliot Cadeau, who averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists last season and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Freshman Trey McKenney scored 17 points in the opener, while Roddy Gayle Jr. also had 17 points and Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella contributed 15 points. Michigan ranked ninth nationally in scoring last season at 87.3 points per game.
Both teams have retooled rosters with transfer portal additions, and early-season defensive chemistry remains a question. Statistical models project Michigan to cover the spread in 51% of simulations and the over on 142.5 points to hit in 69% of simulations.
