The fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines travel to New York on Wednesday night to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Madison Square Garden will play host to the two teams, who haven't played against each other in over a decade. Michigan has been one of the top all-around teams in the country this year, but have yet to play a tough opponent. The Wolverines will face their first test against a talented Pittsburgh team.
The Wolverines opened the season with a 100-62 victory over Slippery Rock, and then coasted to wins in back-to-back games, beating IUPU 91-54 and Cleveland 77-47 to advance to New York and a chance to play at the "World's Greatest Arena".
"At Michigan, you come to win championships, and this is one of the most prestigious preseason tournaments," coach John Beilein said to the Associated Press. "Many of the kids have not been to New York, they've not been to the Garden, and we wanted them to get there."
Michigan is ranked in the top 10 in scoring while only allowing 54.3 points per game on defense. The Wolverines are averaging nearly 90 points per game and are hitting over 56 percent of their shots, ranking fourth in the nation.
According to the Associated Press, "The last time the Wolverines won three consecutive games by at least 30 points came in 1989, the year they won a national championship."
Last season the team went 24-10, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament 65-60 to Ohio. The Wolverines have high expectations and will rely heavily on the backcourt duo of preseason All-American Trey Burke and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. this season.
Burke has been stellar so far this season, averaging 18 points and eight assists per game, and has combined with Hardaway to average 5.0 of Michigan's 11.3 made 3-pointers per game.
"I've honestly never been to New York," Burke said. "Just to be able to go there for the first time with this team, it means a lot. To go there, play against some of the competition that's going to be there, it's going to kind of test where we're at."
The Wolverines have been one of the most effective shooting teams in the country, making 53 percent of their shots from 3-point range this season. The Wolverines may be a bit rusty if the game stays close, considering they have yet to play a tight game all season.
"We're going to work four days of late-game situations," Beilein said. "Getting those in these early season games are always beneficial. We haven't had any of those."
According to the Associated Press, "Michigan last played in MSG on Nov. 21, 2008, and lost 71-56 to Duke in the 2K Sports Classic championship."
Although Pittsburgh Panthers are unranked, the team has started off the season nearly as well as Michigan. The Panthers have won four straight games, including a 72-62 overtime victory on Saturday against Oakland and won their first three games by an average of 30 points.
Head coach Jamie Dixon is returning to his hometown of New York City for the tournament and has a career 20-12 record at Madison Square Garden. The Panthers have played nearly 50 games at the arena since 2000, including two Big East championship games.
Pittsburgh is ranked 61st in scoring with 79 points per game and has been one of the best shooting teams in nation, converting over 52 percent of their shots. The Panthers have distributed the ball efficiently, ranking 16th in assists, but have been dominated down low, ranking only 180th in rebounding with 35 per game.
Against Oakland, Pittsburgh started off very sluggish, falling behind by 14 at halftime. J.J. Moore led the comeback for the Panthers, scoring a team-high 16 points as Pittsburgh erased an 18-point deficit in the second half.
"We battled, and I guess that's the most important thing," Dixon told the team's official website. "We can focus on the first half, but in the second half we outscored them by 28 from being down 18, so that says a lot of things. We have a lot of work to do. I think our guys understand that."
Junior forward Talib Zanna has been one of the best offensive players for the Panthers, making over 70 percent of his shots so far this season. He leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game and scored 20 while making 89 percent of his shots in the team's 78-53 win against Lehigh on Nov. 13.
Senior Tray Woodall has provided leadership to the team and is the catalyst on offense, leading the team in assists with 7.3 per game. He is scoring 13 points per game and fellow senior Dante Taylor has been impressive, leading the team with nearly eight rebounds per game.
The Panthers went 22-17 last season and did not make it to the NCAA tournament. The team only went 5-17 in the Big East games and lost in the second round of the conference tournament.
According to the Associated Press, "Pittsburgh won the schools' last meeting, 85-76 in the 1996 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. The winner will play Kansas State or Delaware in the championship game Friday."
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