Author: Drew Montag

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they lost it.  On Saturday (12/02/2023), they lost at Oregon 86-83 in overtime.  The loss drops Michigan’s record to 4-4.

What Happened?

The Oregon Ducks are a pretty good basketball team, and they’re tough to beat on their weird home court.  Michigan gave them all they could handle, and lost on a last second 3-pointer in overtime.  It was a frustrating game, since Michigan played so well for some stretches, then looked lost for other stretches.  UM had their chances to win this one, but they let it slip away.

Game Flow

The game was close for the first part of the 1^st half, with the lead going back and forth and never getting over 3 points for either team.  With 8:29 to go in the half, it was tied up 19-19.  Oregon led for the rest of the half, but still couldn’t pull away.  They got ahead by 5 points (30-25) at the 4:16 mark, but Michigan got back within 1 point (36-35) with 1:29 to go.  Oregon made a basket with 1 second left in the half to make it a 3-point lead (38-35) at halftime.  Early in the 2^nd half, Michigan tied it up (41-41), then went ahead.  They led by 5 points (52-47) at the 14:19 mark.  Oregon fought back, and went back ahead by 3 points (55-52) with 12:43 left.  It was UM’s turn for a run, and they went up by 4 points (59-55) with 9:55 to go.  Back and forth they went, with neither team able to pull away.  With 2:04 left in regulation (that’s called “foreshadowing”), Oregon led by 2 points, 71-69.  Michigan hit a 3-pointer to go up by 1, 72-71, with 52 seconds left.  They got the stop they needed, and had the ball with 32 seconds left.  They had a chance to put the game away, but some lousy free throw shooting and a stupid foul allowed Oregon to tie it up, 73-73, and a miserable turnover gave Oregon the last shot, which they missed.  Overtime.

Michigan never led in overtime, but they stayed close and tied the game up at 78-78, 81-81, and 83-83.  With 24 seconds left, UM tied it up 83-83, Oregon held for the last shot, and made a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left.  UM missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.  Game.

Stats

The game stats were decent.  Michigan shot fairly well overall (29-for-60 = 48.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (13-for-31 = 41.9%), and they shot free throws decently (12-for-18 = 66.7%).  They won the rebounding battle 38-31, but they lost the turnover battle badly, 16-9.  They lost this game with untimely turnovers, missed key free throws, and lousy 3-point defense: Oregon shot 62.5% from 3-point range (10-for-16).

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

McDaniel was the undisputed star of the game, with another new career high: 33 points, on 12-for-21 shooting (7-for-12 from deep).  His string of made 3-pointers in the middle of the 2^nd half brought Michigan from behind and got them their biggest lead.  He did everything he could to get a win in this game, but it wasn’t quite enough.  It was a real shame to waste such a gutty performance.

Burnett also had a good game, with 13 points on good shooting: 4-for-8 overall (3-for-5 from deep).

Nkamhoua was the only other UM player in double figures, with 12 points.  Unfortunately, he didn’t shoot very well (4-for-12 overall, 1-for-6 from deep), and his 2 missed free throws in the last minute of regulation cost Michigan a chance to win the game, instead of going to overtime.

Williams had a pretty good game, with 8 points.  Unfortunately, he also shot pretty poorly (2-for-7 overall, 1-for-3 from deep).

Will Tschetter came in off the bench and played pretty well.  He scored 8 points on good shooting (3-for-4 overall, 1-for-1 from deep), and played some solid defense.

Tray Jackson also played pretty well off the bench, with 7 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Reed had a terrible game, with 0 points in 21 minutes.  He didn’t attempt a shot, he missed both of his free throw attempts, and he had 3 fouls and 2 turnovers.

Who Else Played?

Jaelin Llewellyn played for the first time this season, off the bench.  He played for 10 minutes, shot 1-for-2 for 2 points, and looked pretty good out there.  Michigan could use another outside shooter, and another point guard to spell McDaniel.

Who Didn’t Play?

Youssef Khayat and George Washington III were the mainstream/scholarship players who didn’t play in this game.

None of the Scout Team players (Ian Burns, Harrison Hochberg, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith) played in this game.

Jace Howard is still recovering from an injury, and not playing yet.  He’s expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

After a hot start (3-0), Michigan is now back to 0.500 (4-4).  The frustrating part is, they could have won 3 of the 4 games they lost (Long Beach State, Memphis, and Oregon).  There are much harder games ahead, so Michigan needs to start winning the winnable ones.  At this point, they’re still looking like a 10-21 team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games, both in the Big Ten.  On Tuesday (12/05/2023, 9:00 p.m., Peacock), they play Indiana in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (12/10/2023, 4:30 p.m. EST, BTN), they play at Iowa.

Indiana is currently 6-1 overall (1-0 in Big Ten).  They beat Louisville and Maryland, and lost (by 20) to (#5) UConn.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” player and a 7-footer.  They aren’t predicted to be in contention for the Big Ten title, but they are predicted to finish ahead of Michigan, so this will probably be a tough game.

Iowa is currently 5-2 overall (0-0 in Big Ten).  They beat Seton Hall, and lost to (#8) Creighton and Oklahoma.  They have one noteworthy player: Patrick McCaffery.  His father is the head coach, and he manages to play way better than he should.  They also have some height: a 6’10” player and a 6’11” player.  Iowa always gives Michigan problems, especially at their place, and Michigan is going to have to play their best game so far to pull off a road upset.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played three games this past week, and they won one and lost the other two.  On Wednesday (11/22/2023), they lost to Memphis 71-67, on Thursday (11/23/2023), they beat Stanford 83-78, then on Friday (11/24/2023), they lost to Texas Tech 73-57.  All three games were in Paradise Island, Bahamas, as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where they finished in 6^th place.  The win and two losses leave Michigan with a record of 4-3.

What Happened?

This is a very confusing time to be a Michigan sports fan.  The football team just completed a perfect 12-0 regular season, including a tense 30-24 win over Ohio State, but they’re under a dark cloud due to “Signgate”.  The men’s basketball team looked great in their first three games, and has looked helpless since then.  Am I happy or sad?  Both, I guess.

It’s hard to look at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament as anything but a disaster.  Yes, Michigan won one game, and sure, Memphis and Texas Tech looked good, but Michigan played very sloppy basketball in all three games, and they were lucky to win one of them.

Game Flow

The Memphis game started out OK, with a tie game (6-6) at the 15:16 mark, then with Memphis leading for the next 6 minutes, but never by more than 2-4 points.  With 8:55 left in the 1^st half, Memphis was up by one point, 20-19.  That’s when UM went cold and allowed Memphis to end the half on a 17-6 run, to lead by 12 points (37-25) at halftime.  UM made a few runs at the lead in the 2^nd half, but Memphis always answered and kept the lead around 10-12 points.  With 13:17 left in the game, Memphis was up by 12 points (48-36), when UM finally started clawing their way back into the game.  They got the deficit down to 3 points (51-48) at the 8:41 mark, and one point (59-58) with 4:12 to go, but they couldn’t “get over the hump”.  Memphis built the lead back up to 9 points (67-58) with 1:07 left, UM got back within 2 points (69-67) with 10 seconds left, but they couldn’t get any closer, losing by 4 points.  It was discouraging, since UM played from behind for almost the whole game.

The Stanford game was hard to watch.  UM led 2-0 early, and was only down one point (5-4) at the 18:07 mark.  Then the wheels fell off.  Michigan couldn’t buy a basket, and Stanford couldn’t miss, leading to a 18-5 run.  With 12:40 left in the half, Stanford led by 14 points (23-9), and it looked like they were going to run away with the game.  Fortunately, that’s when Michigan finally woke up, going on a 21-5 run of their own, to lead by 2 points (30-28) at the 6:31 mark.  The lead went back and forth for the rest of the half, with UM up by one point (45-44) at halftime.  Stanford started the 2^nd half strong, but UM fought back, and the game was tied up (52-52) with 16:46 left.  It was Michigan’s turn for a run, and they led by 13 points (67-54) with 12:24 to go.  Stanford wasn’t done, going on their own run to tie it up (72-72) at the 4:43 mark.  Michigan led the rest of the way, by as many as 8 points, and won by 5.  The Stanford runs were scary to watch.  Michigan was helpless to stop them.  Fortunately, they had just enough firepower to pull off a few runs of their own.

The TTU game was close for the first 5 minutes, with TTU up by 2 points (8-6) at the 15:24 mark.  That was the last time it was close.  TTU pulled out to a 12-14 point lead for the rest of the half, leading by 14 points (35-21) at halftime.  Things only got worse in the 2^nd half, as TTU expanded their lead to as much as 23 points.  Michigan got within 12 points a couple times early in the 2^nd half, but TTU always answered the UM runs and got the lead back up near 20, coasting to a 16-point win.  Michigan looked helpless out there.

Stats

The game stats for the Memphis game were confusing.  Michigan shot poorly overall (24-for-61 = 39.3%), they shot 3-pointers decently (8-for-24 = 33.3%), and they shot free throws decently (11-for-17 = 64.7%).  They outrebounded Memphis by an astounding 50-28, but they lost the turnover battle badly, 18-11.  How did UM lose this game with such a huge rebounding edge?  Mediocre shooting and too many turnovers.

The game stats for the Stanford game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (32-for-54 = 59.3%), they shot 3-pointers well (8-for-18 = 44.4%), and they shot free throws decently (11-for-16 = 68.8%).  They won the rebounding battle (29-27), and tied in the turnover battle (13-13).  They won this game with pretty good shooting and rebounding.

The game stats for the TTU game were miserable.  Michigan shot poorly overall (22-for-54 = 40.7%), they shot 3-pointers miserably (6-for-20 = 30.0%), and they shot free throws terribly (7-for-14 = 50.0%).  They were outrebounded badly (41-30), but they did win the turnover battle (8-9).  They lost this game with miserable shooting and poor rebounding.

Who Started?

The starters for all three games were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Nkamhoua was the leading scorer for Michigan in 2 of the 3 games (Memphis, with 18 points, and TTU with 16 points).  He also had double figures (16 points) in the Stanford game.  He shot pretty well, and he had lots of rebounds.

McDaniel was the leading scorer in the only game that Nkamhoua wasn’t: Stanford, with 20 points.  He had 13 vs. Memphis, and 12 vs. TTU.  He didn’t shoot particularly well, especially from 3-point range, but he had a nice number of assists and rebounds.

Williams had 2 good games (17 points vs. Stanford and 10 points vs. TTU) and a horrible game vs. Memphis (2 points on 0-for-5 shooting).  He shot well in the Stanford game (5-for-8 overall, 4-for-5 from deep), but not quite as well vs. TTU (4-for-8 overall, 1-for-5 from deep).  He even grabbed a few rebounds in each game.

Burnett also had 2 good games (16 points vs. Memphis and 10 points vs. Stanford) and one horrible game (2 points vs. TTU on 1-for-10 shooting overall, 0-for-4 from deep).  He had lots of rebounds, a few assists, and not too many turnovers.

Reed also had 2 good games (8 points vs. Memphis and 11 points vs. Stanford) and one miserable game (4 points, all free throws, vs. TTU).  He had 12 rebounds vs. Memphis, and a total of 8 blocked shots during the tournament.

Tray Jackson had 2 decent games (7 points vs. Memphis and 5 points vs. TTU) an one miserable game (2 points vs. Stanford).  He shot fairly well, and grabbed a few rebounds.

Will Tschetter chipped in 3, 7, and 5 points, and grabbed a few rebounds.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

George Washington III played in all 3 games, and failed to score.  He took one shot each in the Memphis and TTU games, but not in the Stanford game.  He is not contributing much so far.

Who Else Played?

Youssef Khayat played in the TTU game, and scored 3 points, shooting 1-for-2 from 3-point range.

Who Didn’t Play?

None of the Scout Team players (Ian Burns, Harrison Hochberg, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith) played in any of the games.

Jace Howard and Jaelin Llewellyn are injured, and not playing yet.  They are both expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

After a hot start (3-0), Michigan has settled down to where I expected them to be.  They appear to have a decent amount of talent, but the chemistry sure isn’t there.  They are also very thin at center and shooting guard.  Based on their performance so far, I’m thinking my prediction of 11-20 still looks pretty good.  They will win less than half of their “toss up” games, lose a few of their “should win” games, and lose most of their “should lose” games, with an occasional upset to keep things interesting.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Saturday (12/02/2023, 3:30 p.m., FS1), they play at Oregon.

Oregon is currently 4-2, with a win over Georgia and a loss to Santa Clara.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” player, a 6’11” player, and a 7-footer.  This is a game that Michigan probably won’t win, especially if they continue playing the way they’ve been playing for the last 4 games.  If they can get their swagger back, maybe they can pull off the road upset.

Oh yeah, just so you aren’t surprised when you watch the game on Saturday, here’s what Oregon’s court looks like:

Pretty distracting, no?

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other.  On Monday (11/13/2023), they beat St. John’s 89-73 in Madison Square Garden in New York City (a Gavitt Tipoff Game), then on Friday (11/17/2023), they lost to Long Beach State 94-86 in Crisler Arena.  The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 3-1.

What Happened?

After playing very well in their first three games, fans were starting to raise their expectations about this season’s team.  Long Beach State?  Another blowout win!  Wrong.  Back to Earth.  While this team might still exceed initial expectations, they are not going to blowout every opponent on the way to an undefeated season and a National Championship.

First, the delightful St. John’s game.  This was Michigan’s toughest test to date in the young season, and they passed it with flying colors.  It was a fun game to watch on TV, since the announcers were so excited about the Return Of Rick Pitino.  Michigan ran SJU out of the gym.  The game started out as a see-saw battle, with the lead going back and forth.  With 7:14 to go in the 1^st half, it was all tied up, 28-28.  SJU went ahead, 31-29, at the 6:28 mark, and that was the last time they led.  Michigan ended the half with a 19-7 run, to lead 48-38 at halftime.  The 2^nd half was all Michigan, as they pushed the lead up as high as 26 points, before the Scout Team let SJU sneak back to within 16 points at the end.

Speaking of 16 points, that was the high water mark for Michigan in the ill-fated LBSU game.  Michigan started strong, and built up a 16 point lead (23-7) with 13:16 to go in the 1^st half.  It looked like LBSU was going to fold and UM was going to get another blowout win, but the Beach didn’t give up.  Michigan still led by 12 points (32-20) at the 8:56 mark, and 10 points (34-24) with 7:38 to go.  That’s when UM stopped playing defense, and LBSU went on a 24-16 run to end the half.  That cut Michigan’s lead to 2 points (50-48) at halftime.  The 2^nd half was a disaster.  The lead went back and forth, with LBSU ahead for most of the half.  Still, UM kept battling, and they actually got a small lead (80-76) with 4:28 left in the game.  LBSU outscored them 18-6 down the stretch, to win by 8.  It was frustrating.

Stats

The game stats for the SJU game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (32-for-62 = 51.6%), they shot 3-pointers well (11-for-26 = 42.3%), and they shot free throws decently (14-for-23 = 60.9%).  They lost the rebounding battle (39-47) and the turnover battle (13-11).  They won this game with good shooting and defense.  The biggest negative was that SJU grabbed 27 offensive rebounds, for 33 second-chance points.

The game stats for the LBSU game were mediocre.  Michigan shot decently overall (31-for-66 = 47.0%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (9-for-28 = 32.1%), and they shot free throws decently (15-for-25 = 60.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (38-30), but lost the turnover battle (16-12).  They lost this game with poor 3-point shooting and too many turnovers.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

McDaniel was the star this week, with 26 (a new career high) and 20 points.  He was the leading scorer in the SJU game, and 2^nd leading scorer vs. LBSU.  He also had 7 and 6 assists.  Unfortunately, he had 6 turnovers vs. LBSU, several of them at key moments in the closing minutes of the game.

Nkamhoua had a decent game vs. SJU (9 points) and was the leading scorer vs. LBSU (22 points).  He also had 7 and 11 rebounds, giving him another double-double vs. LBSU.

Williams was the only other player to hit double figures in both games, with 12 and 10 points.  He wasn’t very efficient: 5-for-12 overall (2-for-6 from deep) vs. SJU, and 2-for-8 overall (2-for-7 from deep) vs. LBSU.  His poor shooting vs. LBSU really cost Michigan in that game.

Burnett had a career game vs. SJU (21 points) and a mediocre game vs. LBSU (5 points).  He scored all 21 of his points in the 1^st half of the SJU game, shooting 8-for-8 overall, 4-for-4 from deep.  Unfortunately, he shot 0-for-5 overall (0-for-3 from deep) in the 2^nd half of the SJU game, and 2-for-9 overall (1-for-7 from deep) vs. LBSU, for a combined 2-for-14 overall (1-for-10 from deep) since that 1^st half outburst.  His poor shooting vs. LBSU really cost Michigan in that game.

Reed had a quiet week, with 5 and 8 points.  He was the leading rebounder in the SJU game with 11, and he had 4 more rebounds vs. LBSU.

Will Tschetter had one good game (10 points vs. SJU) and one quiet game (4 points vs. LBSU).

Tray Jackson had one very good game (17 points vs. LBSU) and one quiet game (4 points vs. SJU).

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

George Washington III played in both games (5 and 4 minutes), and failed to score.  He took one shot, in the SJU game.

Who Else Played?

Harrison Hochberg played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Youssef Khayat played in the SJU game, and scored 2 points.

Jackson Selvala played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Cooper Smith played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Ian Burns didn’t play in either game.

Jace Howard and Jaelin Llewellyn are injured, and not playing yet.  They are both expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

It wasn’t surprising that Michigan went 1-1 last week, but it would have made more sense for them to lose their first road game against a team coached by Rick Pitino and beat Long Beach State in Crisler.  Wrong.  Oh well.  We knew they weren’t going to win them all, but I think most people expected them to beat LBSU.  This just shows that this is a team that hasn’t been playing together for very long, and that they’ve got some work to do.  They could still have a better season than predicted, but they’ve got to avoid those upsets.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays three games, all in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas.  On Wednesday (11/22/2023, 5:00 p.m., ESPN2) they play Memphis, on Thursday (11/23/2023, 5:00/7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPNU) they play (#14) Arkansas/Stanford, then on Friday (11/24/2023, TBA, TBA) they play one of the teams from the other half of the bracket ([#20] North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Texas Tech, or [#21] Villanova).  The full bracket is here.

Memphis is currently 3-0, with a win over Missouri.  They were 26-9 (13-5 in the AAC) last season, with some decent wins.  They won the AAC conference tournament, then lost in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida Atlantic.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they’ve only got one tall player, a 6’11” redshirt senior.  This game is a toss-up.  If Michigan plays like they did in their first three games, they’ll stand a good chance against Memphis.  If they play like they did in the 2^nd half vs. LBSU, not so much.

The way the tournament bracket is set up, it is crucial to win the first game.  That gets you into the winner’s bracket, where the worst you can do is 4^th place.  Lose on the first day, and you drop into the loser’s bracket, where 5^th place is the best you can do.  When Michigan played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in November 2019, they won a hard-fought game against Iowa State in the 1^st round, then upset (#6) North Carolina and (#8) Gonzaga to win it all.  I went to that tournament, and it was a great time.  I hope UM can play that well again.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them.  On Tuesday (11/07/2023), they beat UNC-Asheville 99-74, then on Friday (11/10/2023), they beat Youngstown State 92-62.  Both games were in Crisler Arena.  The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 2-0.

What Happened?

Normally, most high-major teams schedule real “cupcakes” for their first few home games, to kind of “ease into” the season.  Not Michigan, not this season.  Both UNCA and YSU are good, solid opponents with impressive records last season, and strong returning lineups.  Michigan made them both look like traditional “cupcakes”, but they’re both a notch up from that.  Michigan just played very well in both games, and got the blowout wins they deserved.  It’s an important psychological advantage to win your exhibition games (ahem: Tennessee 89, MSU 88) and your first home game (ahem, again: James Madison 79, MSU 76), and Michigan took care of business.  Of course, if you shoot 1-for-20 from 3-point range, you could lose to a mid-major team in your home opener.  Just sayin’…

The UNCA game started with a UM turnover and 2 made free throws for UNCA.  That was the only time UM trailed the whole game.  Michigan made a 3-pointer to go up 3-2, and they never looked back.  They got the lead up to 9 points (15-6) with 14:54 to go in the 1^st half, then 15 points (31-16) at the 9:05 mark.  They got the 1^st half lead as high as 21 points (48-27) with 2:18 left in the half, but let UNCA score the last 5 points of the half, for a 16-point lead (48-32) at halftime.  Michigan put the game out of reach in the first 5 minutes of the 2^nd half with a 19-8 run to make it a 27-point lead (67-40) with 15:02 to go.  The rest of the game, Michigan kept the lead between 20 and 29 points, even with the Scout Team in the game for the last 3 minutes.  It was a dominating performance against a good opponent.

The YSU game was all Michigan for the whole game.  UM led 4-0, YSU got within 2 points (4-2), then Michigan pulled away for good.  They led by 8 points (18-10) with 14:13 to go in the 1^st half, then 11 points (26-15) with 9:39 left.  They led by 10 points (33-23) with 3:57 to go in the half, then they went on a 13-0 run to end the half up 46-23.  Just a little basketball pro-tip: it’s not good to be doubled up at halftime.  Michigan came out in the 2^nd half and kept doubling (or more) YSU’s score: 50-25, 59-28, 65-30, 74-36, 76-38, and 81-40.  Once the lead got over 40 points, Michigan emptied the bench, and YSU made the score look a little more respectable, losing by “only” 30 points.  It was another dominating performance against another good opponent.

Stats

The game stats for the UNCA game were predictably good.  Michigan shot well overall (38-for-67 = 56.7%), they shot 3-pointers well (12-for-26 = 46.2%), and they shot free throws decently (11-for-15 = 73.3%).  They won the rebounding battle (39-30) and the turnover battle (9-13).  They won this game with good shooting and rebounding.

The game stats for the YSU game were good, but not as good as the UNCA stats.  Michigan shot well overall (35-for-66 = 53.0%), they shot 3-pointers fairly well (9-for-26 = 34.6%), and they shot free throws very well (13-for-16 = 81.3%).  They won the rebounding battle (41-31) and the turnover battle (11-13).  They won this game with continued good shooting and rebounding.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Nkamhoua was the leading scorer in the UNCA game, with 25 points, and the second leading scorer in the YSU game, with 17 points.  He was also Michigan’s leading rebounder in both games, with 7 and 10 rebounds, which gave him a nice double-double in the YSU game.  He shot very well: 11-for-16 (1-for-4 from deep) vs. UNCA, and 7-for-7 (1-for-1 from deep) vs. YSU.  He also played very good defense.  He was the best player on the floor for both games.

McDaniel was the second leading scorer in the UNCA game, with 22 points, and the third leading scorer in the YSU game, with 16 points.  He had 8 assists vs. UNCA and 4 assists vs. YSU.  He looked very poised and confident out there.

Will Tschetter was the star of the YSU game, with 20 points off the bench.  He was the leading scorer, and he did it with style: 8-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-4 from deep.  He had a very interesting stat line: 20 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists.  All he did was shoot, and shoot well.  20 points is a new career high for him, breaking his old career high of 8 points that he set in the UNCA game.  He also shot well in that game: 3-for-5 overall, 2-for-2 from deep.  Just for reference, he only scored 63 points in 27 games last season.

Williams had two very good games, which is very encouraging.  He scored 15 points vs. UNCA and 13 points vs. YSU.  He shot well in both games: 5-for-8 overall (3-for-5 from deep) vs. UNCA, and 4-for-8 (2-for-4 from deep) vs. YSU.  He even chipped in 6 and 8 rebounds.

Burnett had one good game (13 points vs. UNCA) and one lousy game (0 points vs. YSU).  As the starting shooting guard, Michigan needs consistent scoring from him.

Reed was very consistent, with 9 points in each game.  He still hasn’t played much (20 minutes vs. UNCA, 19 minutes vs. YSU); I don’t know if he’s recovering from illness or injury.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Tray Jackson played in both games, and scored 3 and 6 points.  He showed flashes of solid play, then he just drifted around the rest of the time.

Youssef Khayat played in both games, scoring 2 and 4 points.  He also got another technical foul, in the YSU game.  He’s a little bit of a “loose cannon” out there.

George Washington III finally scored his first career points in the YSU game (5 points, on 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 from deep) after going scoreless in his debut against UNCA.  Once again, he’s a freshman, he’ll get better.

Who Else Played?

Ian Burns played for 2 minutes vs. UNCA and 7 minutes vs. YSU.  He scored his first career points in the YSU game, hitting both of his free throw attempts.

Harrison Hochberg played for 2 minutes vs. UNCA and 3 minutes vs. YSU.  He didn’t shoot in the UNCA game, and missed his only free throw attempt in the YSU game.

Jackson Selvala played for 2 minutes vs. UNCA and 7 minutes vs. YSU.  He missed his only shot attempt vs. UNCA, and didn’t shoot vs. YSU.

Cooper Smith played for 3 minutes in each game, and scored 2 points vs. UNCA.  He was 1-for-1 vs. UNCA, and 0-for-1 vs. YSU.

Who Didn’t Play?

Everyone who wasn’t injured played at least 2 minutes in each game.  The injured players are: Jace Howard and Jaelin Llewellyn.

What Does It Mean?

Could Michigan be better than the “experts” predicted?  It’s a little early to say, but based on how they played against two quality opponents, maybe?  We’ll know more after their next game.  See below.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Monday (11/13/2023, 6:30 p.m., FS1) they play St. John’s in Madison Square Garden in New York City, then on Friday (11/17/2023, 7:00 p.m., BTN+) they play Long Beach State in Crisler Arena.  The St. John’s game is part of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games, which is the annual Big East/Big Ten challenge.  This is the last season for the Gavitt Games.

St. John’s was 18-15 last season, 7-13 in the Big East.  They beat (#6) UConn and (#20) Providence, lost in the 2^nd round of the Big East tournament, and didn’t play in a post-season tournament.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have much height: just one 6’11” player.  They do have a noteworthy coach: Rick Pitino.  That alone makes them dangerous.  This will be an important test for Michigan.  They’ve looked good at home against mid-major teams, but now they’ll be playing on the road against a team from a big conference.  Sure, it’s technically a “neutral site” game, but it’s a lot like a home game for St. John’s.

Long Beach State was 17-16 last season, 11-9 in the Big West.  They didn’t beat anyone notable, lost in the 1^st round of the Big West tournament, and didn’t play in a post-season tournament.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have a little height: two 6’10” players, and a 6’11” player.  This is a game that Michigan should win, as long as they don’t do anything crazy.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they won it.  On Friday (11/03/2023), they beat Northwood 92-45 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 bad Division II team.  Michigan opened a quick 17-4 lead, and slowly built on it throughout the 1^st half.  The lead got as high as 33 points (54-21) with 0:50 to go, and was 31 points (54-23) at halftime.

The 2^nd half was more of the same.  Michigan started the 2^nd half on fire, with a 21-2 run to make it 75-25 at the 13:51 mark.  They got the lead as high as 55 points (82-27) with 11:49 to go, and kept it around 50 points for the rest of the game.  Coach Martelli (filling in for Coach Howard, who is recovering from heart surgery) emptied the bench with 7:36 left in the game, and Michigan leading by 51 points (87-36).  That slowed down the UM offense enough to finish the game with only 5 more points, against 9 points for Northwood.

Stats

The game stats were predictably good.  Michigan shot well overall (36-for-68 = 52.9%), they shot 3-pointers well (12-for-27 = 44.4%), and they shot free throws decently (8-for-11 = 72.7%).  They won the rebounding battle (49-38) and the turnover battle (10-13).  They won this game with good shooting and rebounding.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

McDaniel was the leading scorer among the starters, with 16 points in 20 minutes.  He shot pretty well (6-for-9 overall, 3-for-5 from deep), and he ran the offense just fine.

Tray Jackson was the star of the game, with 20 points off the bench.  He shot well (8-for-10 overall, 3-for-4 from deep), and he didn’t have any turnovers.  If he can keep that up, he’ll be starting soon.

Reed did a great job out there.  He scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (5 offensive), for a nice double-double.  He shot very well (5-for-6), and he did it all in only 11 minutes.

Nkamhoua was the only other starter in double figures, with 11 points.  He played center for most of the 2^nd half (until the Scout Team went in), and he did very well.  He had 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.  He also had 6 assists.  He shot well (5-for-7), including 1-for-3 from deep.

Burnett almost hit double figures, with 9 points on very good shooting: 3-for-4 overall, 3-for-3 from deep.  He also had 6 assists.

Williams had a decent game, with 7 points and 5 rebounds.  He shot fairly well (3-for-6 overall, 0-for-2 from deep), and he didn’t have any turnovers.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Will Tschetter played for 22 minutes and scored 7 points.  He shot pretty poorly (2-for-9 overall, 1-for-3 from deep), but he was the leading rebounder, with 13 boards.

George Washington III played a lot (25 minutes), shot a lot (12 shots), but didn’t score a lot (7 points).  He shot 3-for-12 overall, 1-for-3 from deep.  He’s a freshman, and he’s a good shooter, so he’ll have plenty of better games.

Who Else Played?

Ian Burns played for 5 minutes, and failed to score, going 0-for-2, both 3-pointers.  He’s on the Scout Team, so this isn’t unusual.

Harrison Hochberg was the only player from the Scout Team who scored.  He played for 5 minutes, and made his only shot, for 2 points.

Cooper Smith played for 8 minutes, and failed to score, going 0-for-2, both 3-pointers.  He’s on the Scout Team, so this isn’t unusual.

Jackson Selvala played for 8 minutes, and didn’t attempt a shot.  He’s on the Scout Team, so this isn’t unusual.

Who Didn’t Play?

Everyone who wasn’t injured played at least 5 minutes.  The injured players are: Jace Howard, Youssef Khayat, and Jaelin Llewellyn.

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.  Michigan got to try some unusual lineup combinations, but we won’t see those in “real” games.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Tuesday (11/07/2023, 8:30 p.m., BTN) they play UNC-Asheville, then on Friday (11/10/2023, 6:30 p.m., BTN) they play Youngstown State.  Both games are in Crisler Arena.

UNC-Asheville was 27-8 last season, 16-2 in the Big South.  They didn’t have any impressive wins, but they won the Big South conference tournament, which got them into the NCAA Tournament.  They lost in the 1^st round to UCLA.  They don’t have any superstar players on their roster, and they don’t have much height: one 6’11” player.  This should be a decent test for Michigan, but one they can pass only if they stay focused.

Youngstown State was 24-10 last season, 15-5 in the Horizon League.  They didn’t have any impressive wins, and they lost in the 2^nd round of their conference tournament, so they played in the NIT.  They lost in the 1^st round of the NIT.  They don’t have any noteworthy players on their roster, but they do have some height: a 7-footer and a 7’3” player.  This is a game that Michigan should win, but with a couple 7-footers, YSU could make it interesting.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!