The (#22) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they won it. On Friday (11/04/2022), they beat Ferris State 88-75 in Crisler Arena. Since it was only an exhibition, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.
What Happened?
The game itself was pretty much what you’d expect from a matchup between a Big Ten team and a Division II team. Michigan opened a quick 7-0 lead, then let FSU hang around for a while. UM only led by 4 points (20-16) with 10:19 to go in the 1st half when they went on a 12-3 run to open up a comfortable 13-point lead, 32-19. They continued to build on the lead, and were up by 19 (49-30) at halftime.
The 2nd half was more of the same. Michigan stretched the lead to 30 points (68-38) with 14:15 to go, then they coasted home. Coach Howard played everyone, and tried some unusual lineups. The 2nd and 3rd string players didn’t do quite as well, and FSU slowly chipped away at the lead, but Michigan still led by 18 points (87-69) with 2:07 to go. FSU finished the game with a 6-1 run to make it look closer than it was.
Stats
The game stats were predictably good. Michigan shot well overall (30-for-56 = 53.6%), they shot 3-pointers well (11-for-23 = 47.8%), and they shot free throws decently (17-for-28 = 60.7%). They lost the rebounding battle badly (47-36), but they won the turnover battle (10-12). They won this game with good shooting and fairly good defense.
Who Started?
The starters were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Jaelin Llewellyn, and Terrance Williams II.
Who Looked Good?

Jett Howard was the star of the game, with 30 points and 4 rebounds. He was tremendous out there, shooting 10-for-12, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range. He only played 22 minutes, so he could have had many more points, but Coach Howard wanted to give everyone some playing time, and the game was won, so he sat most of the 2nd half.

Bufkin had the best game of his career, with 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting (3-for-5 from deep). Let’s hope that Kobe has made a “sophomore jump”, and that we can expect this kind of performance from him on a regular basis.

Dickinson almost hit double figures, with 9 points to go with 5 rebounds. He shot poorly (3-for-8), and only played 21 minutes. He looked bored or disinterested out there.
Llewellyn did a nice job running the offense (3 assists), and he led the team in rebounding (6 boards), but he didn’t do much on offense, going 1-for-3 for 2 points.

Dug McDaniel was the only other Michigan player to hit double figures, with 11 points. He shot decently (5-for-10), but he was 0-for-3 from 3-point range. He led the team with 6 assists. He is very fast, with some great moves and body control, and he played hard out there.
Isaiah Barnes showed a nice touch from 3-point range, going 2-for-2 from deep, for 6 points.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Williams played hard, but didn’t contribute much. He played for 15 minutes, took 1 shot and missed it, for 0 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and committed 3 fouls. He’s one of the tri-captains, and he needs to contribute a lot more than that.
Jace Howard also played hard, but didn’t contribute much. He played for 14 minutes, shot 0-for-3 for 0 points, and grabbed 2 rebounds. He’s another of the tri-captains, and he needs to contribute more than that.
Tarris Reed, Jr. played 18 minutes backing up Dickinson. He wasn’t very effective, scoring 4 points on 2-for-5 shooting.
Joey Baker played for 15 minutes, and didn’t do much. He didn’t attempt a shot from the floor, just went 2-for-3 from the free throw line. He sure didn’t play like someone who played for 4 years at Duke.
Youssef Khayat played for 10 minutes, and was all over the place, but didn’t contribute much. He scored 2 points on 1-for-3 shooting. He also got a technical foul.
Who Else Played?
Will Tschetter played for 5 minutes, and failed to score. As a scholarship player, more is expected from him.
Gregg Glenn III played for 3 minutes, and failed to score. As a scholarship player, more is expected from him.
Ian Burns played for 1 minute, and failed to score. He’s on the practice team, so this isn’t unusual.
Cooper Smith played for 1 minute, and scored 1 point. He’s on the practice team, so this isn’t unusual.
Jackson Selvala played for 1 minute, and failed to score. He’s on the practice team, so this isn’t unusual.
Who Didn’t Play?
Everyone played at least one minute.
What Does It Mean?
What can we learn from an exhibition game against an overmatched opponent? Not much. It was nice to see the new players in an actual game, even if it was just an exhibition. Coach Howard got to try some lineup combinations, but it was too early to see if he has anything interesting in mind.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan plays two games. On Monday (11/07/2022, 6:30 p.m., BTN) they play Purdue-Fort Wayne in Crisler Arena, then on Friday (11/11/2022, 9:00 p.m., ESPNU) they play Eastern Michigan in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Purdue-Fort Wayne was 21-12 last season, 15-6 in the Horizon League. They didn’t have any impressive wins, and they lost in the 1st round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). They don’t have any superstar players on their roster, and they don’t have much height. This should be a decent test for Michigan, but one they can pass only if they stay focused.
As a side note, Michigan was scheduled to play Purdue-Fort Wayne on 12/21/2021 last season, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues on the Purdue-Fort Wayne team. I asked for a refund for my season tickets for that game, and the Athletic Department said “no”. They said that it was the only game canceled, and that not enough other season ticket holders asked for a refund. I was not amused. If you were similarly ripped off, and feel that they owe you a refund, I encourage you to send an email to the Ticket Office and politely ask for a refund. Maybe if enough people continue to ask, they’ll change their answer.
Eastern Michigan was 10-21 last season, 5-15 in the MAC. They didn’t have any impressive wins, and they didn’t play in their conference tournament, so they didn’t go on to postseason play. They definitely have a superstar player on their roster: Emoni Bates, who was anointed as the next LeBron James and Michael Jordan by “Sports Illustrated” when he was still an underclassman in high school. He’s a very talented player, but SI might have overestimated him a little. He played at Memphis last season, and he did OK, but he was hampered by a lower back injury.
Besides Bates, EMU doesn’t have any other noteworthy players on their roster. They also don’t have much height: Bates and one other guy are 6’10”, and that’s about it. This is a game that Michigan should win, but with a player like Bates on the floor, it could be interesting.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
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