UConn to face Michigan in opening tourney game; Syracuse could be on-deck

UConn will face Michigan in its first Battle 4 Atlantis tournament game -- with the possibility of a Thanksgiving Day treat against Syracuse the following day.

The Huskies will meet Michigan in their opening game on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at the Atlantis resort’s Imperial Arena on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The UConn-Michigan winner and loser will meet the Syracuse-Charlotte winner and loser on Thanksgiving Day.

The other two opening-day battles will be Gonzaga vs. Washington and Texas vs. Texas A&M. Game times will be set at a later date, with all games televised by either ESPN, ESPN2 or AXS TV. The UConn-Michigan game will be on AXS TV.

The three-day tournament ends on Friday, Nov. 27. All teams will play three games.

Michigan holds a 2-1 all-time edge over UConn. The Wolverines won the most recent meeting: 68-63 on Jan. 17, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Huskies had defeated Michigan the prior season, 69-61, on Feb. 7, 2009 at Gampel Pavilion. The only other meeting between the programs was back on Dec. 18, 1939 -- a 62-45 Wolverine win.

Michigan struggled last season, finishing 16-16 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten. However, the Wolverines have just about all their key players back, led by Caris LeVert, Derrick Walton, Zak Irvin and Kameron Chatman -- Daniel Hamilton's former AAU teammate and a one-time UConn target.

UConn defeated Syracuse 66-58 on Feb. 13, 2013 -- the last time the teams would ever meet as Big East rivals. Syracuse joined the ACC the following season, while UConn’s league became known as the American Athletic Conference. Syracuse holds a 54-37 all-time advantage over UConn.

Of course, before they face each other again, they’ll both either have to win (or lose) their opening Battle 4 Atlantis games.