Michigan Dominates, Sun Devils Advance to Championship Game

BROOKLYN, NY – The Legends Classic was presented by Old Trapper live from the Barclays Center Wednesday afternoon as four teams were in action for the right to play for the Legends Classic championship tomorrow night.

The Michigan Wolverines (2-0) squared off against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the first matchup of the evening, with the night slate having a great matchup of its own as the VCU Rams (2-0) took on the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1).  

Michigan Routs Pittsburgh behind Howard’s Big Day

Both Jett Howard and big man Hunter Dickinson led the way for the Wolverines combining for 28 points as they outscored the Panthers 53-28 in the second half to advance to the Legends Classic Championship game.

Both the Wolverines and Panthers started the game off quick trading buckets in the first six minutes of the ball game. It was Wolverines who led at the half by six behind Freshman guard Jett Howard’s 10 points in the first half. 

The Wolverines were able to advantage of easy points download, outscoring the Panthers 20-8 in the paint. While the Panthers shot slightly better from the three-point line at 33.3% in comparison to the Wolverines, who shot a struggling 18.2%.

The Wolverines started the half out hot by leading by as much as 17. The Panthers guard Greg Elliot delivered an and-one three that would cut a ten-point lead to six but after that was pretty much it for the night.

The Wolverines onslaught was just too much to overcome for the Panthers. It was a tale of two halves from the three-point line after making just two three-pointers in the first half. The Wolverines had seven three-pointers in the second half.

Joey Baker had 14 points in the game and shot 4-for-5 from three-point range.

The Panthers were led by Jamarius Burton, who had 14 points, and two other players who finished with double-digit point totals. Blake Hinson (13), Greg Elliot (12), but it wasn’t enough as they fall to Michigan.

Key Game Changers:

• Field goal efficiency for the Wolverines shooting 58.3% and the Panthers shooting 42.0%. The defense Panthers couldn’t keep up with the fast-paced offense of the Wolverines.
• Panthers had 13 turnovers for the game.
• The Wolverines had just two made threes in the first half and had seven made threes in the second half.

Sun Devils Late Game Defense Helps Close It Out

In the second game of the Legends Classic, the Rams and the Sun Devils, similar to the first game. It was a tightly contested ball game through the first half. The Rams had a slight edge leading by seven at halftime.

Frankie Collins scored six consecutive points plus an and-one play over Rams big man Brandon Johns Jr which would cut the 12-point lead to six with 8:13 remaining in the game.

The Sun Devils would then tie up the game with an Austin Nunez three-pointer after a missed jumper by the Rams, along with a turnover that forced Rams head coach Mike Rhoades to call a timeout with 5:06 left in the game.

The Sun Devils would take a two-point lead after hitting a layup by Duke Brennan. It was a back-and-forth game, but the Sun Devils were able to overcome a first-half deficit to defeat the Rams 63-59.

Key Games Contributors:

Sun Devils

Frankie Collins: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

DJ Horne: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists

Desmond Cambridge Jr: 10 points, 3 rebounds

VCU

Jayden Nunn: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists

Brandon Johns Jr: 10 points, 6 rebounds

Jamir Watkins: 10 points, 4 rebounds

What’s Next

The Michigan Wolverines will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Legends Classic Championship game in the second game of the doubleheader tomorrow night at 9:30 PM.

The Pittsburgh Panthers will take on the VCU Rams in the first game of the doubleheader at 7:00 PM.