Wolverines to Face Wildcats for Roman Main Event Title

Sunday, November 21

Las Vegas, Nev.

6:30 PM PT

Michigan

Arizona

Eli Brooks (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines to Face Wildcats for Roman Main Event Title

11/20/2021 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan faces Arizona in the title game of the Roman Main Event on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
» U-M advanced to the championship after a 74-61 victory over UNLV in the opening round Friday night.
» Eli Brooks led U-M with a game-high 22 points -- his sixth 20+ point game of his career.
» Moussa Diabate is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game with an even split of 11 offensive and 11 defensive boards.

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The fourth-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team faces Arizona for the first time in seven years for the Roman Main Event title on Sunday night (Nov. 21) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PST (9:30 p.m. EST) on ESPN with John Schriffen (play-by-play) & Robbie Hummel (analyst).

Roman Main Event Breakdown

• Friday, Nov. 19, 2021
G1: Arizona defeated Wichita State 82-78 (OT)
G2: #4/6 Michigan defeated UNLV 74-61

• Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021
G3: #4/6 Michigan vs. Arizona | 6:35 p.m. PST | ESPN
G4: UNLV vs. Wichita State | 9:00 p.m. PST | ESPN2

How U-M Advanced

• No. 4 Michigan opened its Roman Main Event with a 74-61 victory over UNLV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

• Eli Brooks led the Wolverines with 22 points -- his sixth career 20+ point game. He used four three-pointers and a couple of layups to reach the 20-point plateau. He added three rebounds.

• Moussa Diabate came off the bench and went 6-for-7 for a career-best 14 points, including a highlight reel dunk off his lone steal of the game. He added seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

• Hunter Dickinson made it four straight games in double figures with his 13-point, seven-rebound, three-assist, two-steal and one-block performance.

• For the second time this season, U-M finished shooting above 50 percent in a game. Going 26-for-51 from the field, the Wolverines shot 51.0 percent against UNLV.

The Arizona Wildcats

• Sunday's game will be Michigan's 11th all-time matchup with Arizona. The Wolverines are 2-8 against the Wildcats, with seven of 10 the games played on a neutral floor.

• U-M won the first meeting on Dec. 30, 1957, with an 88-76 victory at Arizona. U-M's only other win was a 73-71 overtime win by No. 4 U-M over No. 6 Arizona at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Dec. 21, 1996.

• Arizona has started 4-0 after three home victories over Northern Arizona (81-52), Texas-Rio Grande Valley (104-50) and North Dakota State (97-45). The Wildcats used an 82-78 OT win over Wichita State to remain undefeated. Even though it is four games into the season, the Wildcats average 91.0 points per game (+34.8), while shooting 48.0 percent from the field with 48.5 rebounds (+12.0) and 21.8 assists per game.

• After losing seven players to the transfer portal, Arizona is relying on a rotation of four returning sophomores, most notably forward Bennedict Mathurin, who averages 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

• Overall, the Wildcats have four starters averaging double figures in points -- Azuolas Tubelis (16.0), Bennedict Mathurin (15.3), Christian Koloko (13.8) and Kerr Kriisa (12.5). Krisla (13) and Mathurin (eight) have 21 of Arizona's 37 three-pointers, while Mathurin leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. Koloko leads with 16 blocks (4.0 bpg).

• Arizona has won 16 Pac-12 regular-season titles and seven Pac-12 Tournament championships to its name. The Wildcats have four NCAA Final Fours, reaching the title game twice -- one of which resulted in the program's only NCAA title in 1997.

• After spending 20 years as an assistant/associate head coach at Gonzaga, Tommy Lloyd begins his first season as head coach of the Wildcats.

What Else You Need to Know

• Hunter Dickinson has started his last 27 straight games and has played in all 32 career games.

• DeVante' Jones has started 61 straight games.

• Brandon Johns Jr. has played in 53 straight games.

• Hunter Dickinson leads U-M in points (17.3) and rebounding (8.0) for a second straight season. After 25 total assists all of his freshman season, Dickinson already has 10 (2.5 apg) this season.

• Eli Brooks is shooting 50 percent from long range (9-for-18) and is a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line this season. He is 52-for-56 over (.928) over the last two seasons. For his career, Brooks is an 80 percent free-throw shooter (.809; 98-for-121).

• Moussa Diabate is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game with an even split of 11 offensive and 11 defensive boards.

• Eli Brooks (nine) and Caleb Houstan (six) lead U-M with 15 of U-M's 25 three-pointers. Terrance Williams II has four.

• Moussa Diabate has had a block in every game this season and leads early with six total.

Up Next

Wednesday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Tarleton State (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.