Note: Sorry this article is later than the normal Monday morning publication. I’ve been away from decent Internet coverage (European river cruise) for almost two weeks. I couldn’t watch this week’s game, but I did follow it live via a stats app.
The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they won it. On Sunday (10/20/2024), they beat Oakland 92-48 in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Since it was only an exhibition game, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.
What Happened?
As I say every year after an exhibition game, it’s hard to tell much about the team after an exhibition game. Coach May tried plays and player combinations we may never see again. Still, a few things were obvious:
- Michigan has a lot of depth and talent this season.
- Coach May can devise many interesting combinations of players.
- Michigan isn’t afraid to shoot 3-pointers.
Michigan never trailed in the game, although Oakland did hang around in the early going. Michigan led 7-2 at the 15:40 mark, but Oakland got within 3 points (10-7) with 13:57 to go. Michigan started pulling away at this point, and got the lead up to 12 points (24-12) at the 11:07 mark. Oakland got within 6 points (26-20) with 8:09 to go, then Michigan pulled away for good. They got the lead up to 22 points at halftime (48-26), and never let Oakland get closer than 20 points during the 2nd half. They steadily pushed the lead into the 30s, then the 40s, winning by 44 points. It was a solid win.
Stats
The game stats were pretty good. Michigan shot well overall (34-for-69 = 49.3%), they shot 3-pointers well (15-for-35 = 42.9%), but they shot free throws poorly (9-for-18 = 50.0%). They won the rebounding battle (52-33) and the turnover battle (14-15). They won this game with good shooting and rebounding. It also helped that Oakland had a miserable night shooting 3-pointers: 2-for-30 = 6.7%
Who Started?
The starters were Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr., Vladislav Goldin, Rubin Jones, and Danny Wolf.
Who Looked Good?
Will Tschetter was the leading scorer, off the bench, with 15 points on good shooting: 6-for-8 overall, 1-for-1 from deep. All that in just 15 minutes of playing time!
Gayle had a good game, with 13 points on good shooting: 5-for-8 overall, 2-for-3 from deep. He also had 4 assists. I couldn’t tell from the limited information in the stats app how much of the time Gayle played point guard.
Wolf had a good game as well, with 11 points and 13 rebounds, for a solid “double-double”. He shot well: 3-for-6 overall, 2-for-4 from deep. It’s great having a 7-footer who can shoot 3-pointers. It pulls the opposing big men out to the perimeter, opening up the lane for driving to the hoop.
Goldin also had 11 points, and also shot well: 5-for-8 overall. Many of his shots were dunks.
Donaldson almost hit double figures, with 9 points. He didn’t shoot quite as well as the other 3 starters mentioned above: 3-for-7 overall, 1-for-4 from deep. He did have a team high 6 assists.
Jones had a decent game, with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Sam Walters was the 5th Michigan player in double figures, with 12 points, off the bench. He was Michigan’s leading 3-point shooter, going 4-for-6 from deep. He only took 3-point attempts.
L.J. Cason didn’t quite hit double figures, with 8 points. He didn’t shoot particularly well (3-for-8 overall, 2-for-5 from deep), but he did have 5 rebounds.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Nimari Burnett had 6 points, off the bench, on lousy shooting: 2-for-8 overall, all 3-pointers. He made his first 3-pointer, missed 6 in a row, then made his last 3-pointer late in the game. Without his 2-for-8 contribution, Michigan shot 13-for-27 (48.1%) from deep.
Who Else Played?
Phat Phat Brooks played for 6 minutes, and scored 2 points.
Ian Burns played in the final minute, and didn’t attempt a shot.
Howard Eisley Jr. played in the final minute, and didn’t attempt a shot.
Harrison Hochberg played in the final minute, but missed both his shot attempts.
Charlie May played in the final minute, but missed his only shot attempt.
Who Didn’t Play?
Everyone who wasn’t injured played at least 1 minute. The injured players are: Jace Howard and Justin Pippen.
What Does It Mean?
It’s hard to tell much about a team after one exhibition game. Oakland certainly wasn’t as good as their NCAA Tournament team from last season, so it’s hard to tell how good Michigan is yet.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan plays only one game, another exhibition. On Friday (10/25/2024, 7:30 p.m., BTN) they play Toledo in Crisler Arena. It is rare for Michigan to play two exhibition games in a season.
Toledo was 20-12 last season, 14-4 in the MAC. They beat some decent teams (Louisiana, Wright State, and Oakland), but they lost in the 1st round of the MAC tournament and didn’t play in the post-season. They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they have a little height: two 6’10” guys. This is a game that Michigan should win, but you never know with a new team with lots of new players. Team chemistry goes a long way, and this team may need some time to develop that chemistry.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
