Wolverines to Face Providence for HOF Tip-Off Title at Mohegan Sun Arena

» Michigan will play Providence for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off title on Sunday (Nov. 18) at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN.
» With a near triple-double from Zavier Simpson (14 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists), a career-best 22 points from Jordan Poole and a team-high 25 from Charles Matthews, U-M advanced to the title game after an 84-61 victory against George Washington, Saturday afternoon (Nov. 17).
» Providence will be U-M's second Big East foe this week after the Wolverines won at #8 Villanova (73-46) in the Gavitt Games.
» John Beilein is 5-5 all-time against Providence, while U-M is 0-2 all-time against the Friars.

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 14 -- at #8/8 Villanova, W, 73-46 [ Recap ]
Saturday, Nov. 17 -- vs. George Washington, W, 84, 61 [ Recap ]
Sunday, Nov. 18 -- vs. Providence – HOF Tip-Off Championship Game (Uncasville, Conn.), 1:30 p.m.

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team will play for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Championship against Providence at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 18) on ESPN.

Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off

• Michigan is playing in the 2018 Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, which began with two campus-site games -- Norfolk State (W, 63-44 on Nov. 6) and Holy Cross (W, 56-37 on Nov. 10).
• Both Norfolk State and Holy Cross are part of the Springfield Bracket, while U-M is in the Naismith Bracket with George Washington, Providence and South Carolina.
• Following that pair of home victories, U-M opened the championship round at the Mohegan Sun Arena with an 84-61 victory over George Washington on Saturday night (Nov. 17).
• The Wolverines will play Providence on Sunday (Nov. 18) in the championship game.

A Little Bit About Providence

• The Friars are 3-1 to begin the 2018-19 season, opening with a 77-67 victory over Siena before falling to Wichita State, 83-80, in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Maryland. On Tuesday (Nov. 13), the Friars defeated Holy Cross, 70-61, then advanced to the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off title game with a 76-67 win over South Carolina on Saturday (Nov. 17).
• Providence has three players who score in double figures, including as Alpha Diallo (19.5 points per game). A.J. Reeves is second with 15.8 and Isaiah Jackson adds 10.5 ppg.
• Providence posted a 21-14 record in 2017-18, but fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Texas A&M, 73-69.
• The Friars were picked to finish third in the Big East Preseason Poll. Alpha Diallo was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team and David Duke was named the Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year.
• Ed Cooley is in his eighth season as head coach at Providence and has guided the Friars to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons. Cooley was the head coach at Fairfield for five seasons before moving to Providence.

Four games In …

• Michigan is 4-0 early in 2018-19. U-M opened with a pair of home wins over Norfolk State (63-44) and Holy Cross (56-37) before heading on the road for its next three games. The Wolverines started with a big road win at No. 8 Villanova (73-46) and advanced to the title game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off with an 84-61 win over George Washington.
• After shooting 36.4 percent as a team in the first two games, the Wolverines have found their groove shooting 50.4 percent over the last two at Villanova and vs. George Washington.
• U-M had tallied 40 total field goals through two games, but has made 59 shots in the last two.
• U-M has shot 80 free throws through four games, while opponents have gone to the line just 41 times against the Wolverines.
• Michigan recorded 52 rebounds in the season opener against Norfolk State. The last time U-M did that was against Norfolk State (53 on Nov. 25, 2008). So far through four games, U-M is averages 40.8 per game, more than 6.8 than its opponents (34.0).
• With 11 blocks (2.7 per game) already, Jon Teske has posted a third of his complete total of his first two seasons (33) -- as a freshman, he had seven and last season he posted 26.
• Picking up where he left off, Zavier Simpson has 26 assists (6.5 per game), including a career-best eight vs. George Washington. He has just seven turnovers and a +3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• After grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds for his first career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds), Simpson is tied for the team lead with Isaiah Livers at 6.0 per game.
• Michigan recorded a season-best 20 assists vs. George Washington.

Just Missing History, But Making Career Marks

• With U-M up as much as 37 points with 6:43 remaining vs. George Washington, Zavier Simpson was pulled from the game after posting 14 points, a career-best 11 rebounds and tying a career-best with eight assists -- just two assists shy of recording the sixth triple-double in program history.
• Simpson's 14 points and 11 boards were good for the first double-double of his career.
• In addition to his career boards and assists, Simpson posted a career-best four three-point field goals.
• Even more, Simpson's eight assists helped him extend his streak of five-or-more dimes in all four games this season.

Duobling Down at Mohegan Sun

• After just 14 total three-pointers as a team over the first three games of the season, U-M more than doubled that total with 15 vs. George Washington.
• After scoring just 13 points (4.3 ppg) in the first three games of the season, Jordan Poole nearly doubled that amount with a career-best 22 points vs. George Washington. En route to the career performance, he tied a career-high with five three-pointers.