Wolverines and No. 6 Tar Heels Set for Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinal

» Michigan will face No. 6 North Carolina in the semifinal round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
» The Wolverines are making their second trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis, having gone 2-1 in the 2015 event.
» Senior Zavier Simpson set a Battle 4 Atlantis record with 13 assists against Iowa State. He finished with a double-double (10 points, 13 assists).
» Junior Isaiah Livers continues to lead U-M with 17.2 points per game.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team (5-0) will square off against North Carolina (No. 6 AP, No. 4 USA Today) in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal Thursday (Nov. 28) at the Imperial Arena in the Atlantis Resort. The game will be a 1:30 p.m. tip on ESPN with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Dick Vitale (analyst) as the broadcast crew.

The 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis

• For the second time, Michigan is playing in the Bad Boy Motors Battle 4 Atlantis over the Thanksgiving holiday in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Battle 4 Atlantis has become one of the premier preseason college basketball tournaments. Hosted at the Atlantis resort, games are played in the Imperial Arena, which is a grand ballroom turned into a basketball venue.
• In the 2015 event, the Wolverines won an 88-68 decision over Elon (Nov. 16) in a pre-travel campus match-up. In the opening round on the island, U-M dropped a 74-60 decision to UConn (Nov. 25) before rallying with a 102-47 win over Charlotte (Nov. 26). U-M closed with a 2-1 record after a 78-72 win over Texas (Nov. 27) to earn a fifth-place finish.
• This year, the Wolverines defeated Iowa State 83-76 (Nov. 27) in their quarterfinal game and will face No. 6 North Carolina in the semifinals. The final day will see the Wolverines facing either No. 8 Gonzaga or No. 11 Oregon.
• There is the potential for U-M to play Oregon twice in a two-week stretch. The Wolverines will host the Ducks at Crisler Center on Dec. 14.

Who are the North Carolina Tar Heels

• No. 6 North Carolina has started the season a perfect 5-0 with wins over Notre Dame (76-65), UNC Wilmington (78-62), Gardner-Webb (77-61), Elon (75-61) and Alabama (76-67).
• Cole Anthony is leading the Tar Heels in scoring with 20.8 points per game. Garrison Brooks (13.6), Brandon Robinson (12.0) and Armando Bacot (10.6) are also scoring in double figures for North Carolina.
• Anthony was named to the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and NABC Player of the Year watch lists.
• The Tar Heels were picked to finish second in the preseason ACC poll, while Cole Anthony was named to the preseason All-ACC first team and Garrison Brooks was selected to the preseason All-ACC second team.
• North Carolina had a 29-7 overall record in 2018-19, including a 16-2 mark in the ACC to finish as regular-season co-champions in the conference. The Tar Heels advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
• Roy Williams is in his 17th season as head coach at North Carolina, having led the Tar Heels to three national championships (2005, '09, '17).

Series with North Carolina (3-4)

• Michigan trails the all-time series with North Carolina, 3-4.
• Five of the seven total meetings have been at neutral sites, with four at NCAA Tournaments (1987, '88, '89, '93) and one at the Rainbow Classic (1992). The other two meetings have come in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• U-M and UNC have met on each other's home floor in each of the last two seasons. U-M dropped an 86-71 game at the Smith Center in the 2017 Challenge before claiming an 84-67 home victory at Crisler Center in the 2018 Challenge.
• The 1993 meeting was the national title game, which U-M lost 77-71.

This and That

• Isaiah Livers continues to lead U-M with 17.2 points per game. He has two 20+ point scoring outings, including a career-best 24 against Houston Baptist, going 9-for-10 from the field.
• In his two 20+ point efforts this season (22 vs. Creighton, 24 vs. Houston Baptist), Livers combined to shoot 17-for-22 from the field, 8-for-12 from deep, and a perfect 4-for-4 on free throws.
• After starting 2-for-5 (40 percent) from long range in the opener against Appalachian State, Livers is 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) on three-pointers since.
• Zavier Simpson posted his first double-double of the season with 22 points and a career-high 14 assists against Houston Baptist. It marked his first 20/10 double dip.
• Simpson added a second double-double with 10 points and a Battle 4 Atlantis record 13 assists vs. Iowa State. Overall, he has seven double-doubles in his career with four by points/assists.
• Simpson has had five straight games of 6+ assists, two straight 10+ assist games, and a career-best 14 against Houston Baptist. He leads the Big Ten with 9.8 per game.
• Simpson's 13 assists vs. Iowa State marked the 10th 10+ assist game of his career. He now is second in U-M history and needs four more games to catch all-time leader Gary Grant (14).
• After starting 2-for-8 from the field in the season opener against Appalachian State, Simpson has gone 24-for-35 (68.5 percent) over his next four games, scoring in double figures in each game.
• Jon Teske is nearly averaging a double-double with his 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds. He already has two 10+ rebounding games, including a career-best 13 in the opener against Appalachian State.
• Teske has posted 6+ rebound in all five games this season.
• In five games, Teske has nine steals, nearly a fifth of his prior season best of 26 swipes last season.
• Eli Brooks had a career-best seven assists against Houston Baptist and is averaging 3.4 per game this season.
• David DeJulius has scored in double figures in his last three games, including a career-best 14 vs. Iowa State. During the three-game stretch, he is 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) from the field and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from long range.
• Adding his career-best 14 points against Houston Baptist, Colin Castleton has 36 points this season in five games, surpassing his entire freshman-year total (21).
• Livers leads U-M with 14 three-pointers. Adding in Brooks' 10, the Wolverine duo has 24 of Michigan's 49 total this season.
• Adrien Nunez has made a three-point basket in all five games this season.