Michigan 90, Minnesota 75
After a week of "moral victories" absent actual victories in the non-conference, the Michigan men's basketball team kicked off B1G play tonight in Minneapolis with a resounding victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 90-75 in a game that was not even as close as the admittedly not-close score appears. Michigan pulled ahead in the opening minutes, taking a 13-6 lead by the first media timeout, and never looked back. The 15-9 lead they held with 14:27 remaining in the first half would be the closest the game would get the rest of the way as Kobe Bufkin, Dug McDaniel, and Hunter Dickinson powered the Maize & Blue to a much-needed win.
Michigan got it going early thanks to their shooting from beyond the arc, opening the game 5/5 from three. The triumvirate mentioned in the preceding paragraph were responsible for Michigan's first three triples, coming off inside-out passing. That got Michigan's offense hot to begin and it continued thereafter, with shots falling from all over the floor, while the defensive effort was solid. After the score got to 15-9, Michigan embarked on a 9-0 run fueled by two threes from Jett Howard, and it just kept going.
Midway through the first half, Juwan Howard dug deeper into his bench, a necessity now that Jaelin Llewellyn is done for the season. He ran with a lineup of Kobe Bufkin, Joey Baker, Jace Howard, Will Tschetter, and Tarris Reed, and that unusual concoction of players did nothing to stop the Wolverine roll. Jamison Battle's layup ended the 9-0 run but Michigan tacked six more points on to jack the lead up to 30-11. The last two buckets in that stretch came off Minnesota turnovers forced by an aggressive Michigan defense, finished in transition first by Bufkin and then impressively by Reed, absorbing contact and drawing a foul (he predictably bricked the free throw).
[Campredon]
Howard brought the starters back in and the impressive shotmaking picked up where it left off, with Terrance Williams II and Kobe Bufkin hitting stepback and fadeaway jumpers. You just knew it was that kind of night. The defense remained stifling and Michigan's lead stretched to a cartoonish 37-13 edge at the under-eight media timeout of the first half. Youssef Khayat got some actions in the ensuing minutes, connecting on a three, but Minnesota then stitched together an 11-0 run to cut it to 40-28, the first time in awhile that it felt close.
The Wolverines turned to an unlikely hero to stem the tide, Dug McDaniel on a pull-up three. It was his second of the night to go down and the dry spell was over. Bufkin's disruptive defense forced another turnover leading to a Jett Howard layup and Michigan had wrestled control back. They'd go into the break sporting a comfortable 47-31 edge.
It wasn't over at halftime, but Michigan was clearly in control and it seemed like the first few minutes would be telling on whether the latter 20 minutes would be a real game or continue to be a stress-free affair. That intuition was correct and those opening four minutes indicated the second option, as the shots kept on going down for the visitors. McDaniel made his third three, then Bufkin converted on a layup, and McDaniel copied, with the two guards asserting themselves in what would be a signature night for both. Michigan's lead was up to 21, 54-33, and the game would turn into a back-and-forth affair over the next five or so minutes. Every bucket was answered by the other team in return and the lead never deviated much from 21.
[AFTER THE JUMP: More recap]
[Campredon]
With under 11 minutes to go in the game, that run of back-and-forth ended and Michigan put the final nails in the coffin. That would be a 10-0 run, coming off of Jett Howard being fouled on a three point attempt and making all of them, followed by a Reed tip-in, a Khayat three, and a Bufkin pull-up jumper from inside the arc. At the end of that run, it was now 76-47 and not much more would need to be said. The lead would eventually stretch to as wide as 32 points when Will Tschetter made a free throw to complete a three point play off an and-one, before KenPom time set in.
The Gophers owned KenPom time, cutting the lead from 32 to the final margin of 15, but 15 was the closest that it got over that span. The game was never competitive, and those final points came while the likes of Gregg Glenn, Ian Burns, and Jackson Selvala were in the game for Michigan. An easy, comfortable victory.
I know that Minnesota is not a good team, but even with that in mind, this was the best game of Michigan's 2022-23 season to this point. They shot 52% from the field as a team and shot 10/18 from three, scoring 90 points while committing just 9 turnovers, despite having a new starting PG. The final score of 75 points allowed doesn't do the defense many favors, which was quite good for much of the night while the game was even vaguely competitive, turning Minnesota over 16 times. Jamison Battle, who cooked Michigan to the tune of 27 points in a Minnesota victory at Crisler last year, was held to 11 points on 4/9 from the floor.
[Campredon]
In terms of individual efforts, there are many good ones to discuss, as four of five starters scored at least 14 points. Jett Howard saw his usage decrease due to the emergence of McDaniel, but still knocked down a couple threes and got to the free throw line for seven attempts (would've liked him to do better than 4/7 though). Hunter Dickinson was his usual self with 19 points on a clean 7/11 from the floor and 4/4 from the stripe.
But the real story was Bufkin and McDaniel, the two players who Michigan most needs to prove their worth with Llewellyn's season finished. Bufkin had a confident game offensively, shooting 7/11 and making jumpers from all over. He dished out four assists, only turned it over once, and had three steals, continuing to assert himself as a rapidly improving perimeter defender. And McDaniel? What more can you say about a player who just played the best game of his nascent NCAA career? Many were expecting chaos, but instead Dug was a hyper-efficient 5/6 from the field, including 3/3 from three and perfect on two free throw attempts. He facilitated productive offense with seven assists, got dribble drive penetration and was dangerous as a perimeter shooter. McDaniel also had three steals to just two assists, a decent defensive performance as well. Michigan didn't get much from its bench, but two Khayat threes and six points each from Reed and Tschetter were bright spots.
Michigan is now off for a much-needed nine day break before resuming action on Saturday December 17 against Lipscomb. After a trans-Atlantic trip that only gave the Wolverines a few days of rest in between, they get an elongated period to practice with their new personnel and get some sleep. They are now 6-3 on the season and 1-0 in B1G play. After facing Lipscomb, UNC, and CMU to close calendar 2022, they will get right back to conference play facing Maryland on New Year's Day in Ann Arbor.
The box score is below:
December 9th, 2022 at 12:52 AM ^
Brian Butch. Dan Dakich. Sound the same to me. Same tone. Look kind of the same. Both names have alliteration. Clone? Doppelgänger? Found it distracting.
Oh yeah, we won! Great game to watch! Great job, guys! Go Blue!
December 9th, 2022 at 8:48 AM ^
Jon Crispin has a similar voice too. I was actually looking at where these guys are from wondering if it's some regional thing. I guess not. NJ, WI, IN.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:04 AM ^
Just what the world needs, a Dan Dakich wanna-be. One is enough.
December 9th, 2022 at 5:40 AM ^
Setting aside his off-the-court stuff and other annoyances, he knows his stuff inside and out.
December 9th, 2022 at 10:44 AM ^
eh, I don't know. He has some Xs and Os but mostly his shtick is all about playing hard, wanting it, intangibles, etc etc.
I enjoyed Dakich broadcasts for awhile but I'm not sure he really knows his stuff compared to other guys like Hummel
December 9th, 2022 at 1:04 AM ^
Man, Dug looked good!! The team played much faster and more efficient with him on the floor. And he can shoot!
December 9th, 2022 at 1:56 AM ^
These plus/minuses don't even seem real.
A guy from Minnesota that played 28 minutes in a 15 point loss had a plus 6?!
Dickinson was only +2 in 25 minutes of a 15 point win?
Seems crazy only three M players had +/- in double digits, but Bufkin with +29, wow.
Really nice start for Dug. Minnesota is terrible, but we'll take any road wins in conference play. Don't put a fork in them yet.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Those +/- numbers can't be right.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:38 PM ^
Oh they're real and they're spectacular!
December 9th, 2022 at 1:08 PM ^
Plus 1 for any Seinfeld reference
December 9th, 2022 at 2:35 AM ^
What a pleasant surprise this game was. Dug played great, the team looks way better with him playing heavy minutes than with Llewellyn.
If Bufkin can continue to provide that kind of play it would really help the backcourt situation.
Also, Jett is way better than Caleb Houstan ever was, it's not even close.
Hopefully this team can gel and become something fun to watch like they were tonight.
December 9th, 2022 at 2:50 AM ^
Typo - says DMcD had three steals and two assists - should be two turnovers.
if Kobe and DMcD can play anywhere near this well consistently, we will have something.
December 9th, 2022 at 3:38 AM ^
This is when living in Germany works in my favor, can Post Malone all alone.
Now Dug has to play 20+ min per game. If he can be decent to good in that allotment, Michigan has a chance to be decent, maybe even make the tourney. Really good start. Will get much tougher especially once coaches start to game plan to attack him. I had been very skeptical about another short no-shot PG, but it seems as though he can shoot just a bit, which puts him way ahead of Frankie and early Zavier.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:44 AM ^
Yeah, I think our collective memories of Zavier--love him--are colored by the Captain Hook version that he became, not the can't-hit-a-FT, can't-run-the-offense earlier version who first got benched for whole games, and then was getting subbed out late in games.
But Zavier brought an energy to the team--in his case, a junkyard pitbull on-ball defender energy--and last night it felt like Dug brought an energy to the team, too. There were far fewer possessions just dribbling around aimlessly and heaving up a desperation shot at the end of the clock (although there were still a few). It felt like the ball got distributed with a purpose much earlier--oftentimes, given over to Bufkin, who was an equally able distributor. And it felt like everyone stepped up and played with greater energy, particularly Hunter. It's hard to overstate how important that is.
It's one game against a not-good B1G team. Still--cause for hope at the guard spots, where before it felt like Michigan had none.
Now, about another guy I love--TWill ...
December 9th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
I was a TWILL fan but not anymore. He basically provides nothing. He isn't strong, big or fast. He can't jump either. He is slow, can't box out, seems lacksadaisical on defense but is a decent shooter. I would prefer we see what Tschetter can do. He is a big body who can rebound and I am pretty sure he is a better shooter. He WANTS to play defense too. Also Khayat might have something as well...
December 9th, 2022 at 1:49 PM ^
Tschetter may want to play defense, but he had a lot of trouble staying in front of his man last night.
December 9th, 2022 at 5:58 AM ^
That was fun to watch. Loved the aggressiveness.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:28 AM ^
Impressive that the team kept to their 4th in the country turnover rate of 9 per game (giving exactly that many away in this first game without their starting point guard).
December 9th, 2022 at 7:50 AM ^
It was a complete game from a team that has struggled to do so all year. The 3pt shooting is unlikely to stay that hot but Minnesota also shit decently well from 3 so at least it was evenly distributed.
Gives me confidence they can make a run at UNC and head into that Maryland game (who look really good) on a bit if a winning streak.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
I'm an early believer in and a big fan of Knasir "Dug" McDaniel. I watched him in HS and he impressed me A LOT. So you all can imagine how excited I was when he committed to Michigan.
He has "it" in my opinion.
In my mind, I think Dug McDaniel can be the answer to the following hypothetical question: "What if you combine Derrick Walton Jr.'s offense with Zavier Simpson's defense?" He is simply a balanced court general.
I truly believe that McDaniel has what it takes to become an eventual All-American and lead Michigan to the elusive 2nd National Championship with some luck.
Lofty? You're damn right it is.
As he climbs the learning curve, I expect McDaniel to become:
+ a more consistent / reliable shooter + scorer
+ better playmaker / facilitator for those around him
+ an elite defender
+ more adept at setting and controlling the tempo / flow of a game
He demonstrated each of those things in HS against elite competition. Now it's about him acclimating to the college game and he's already doing well.
I think Dug is EXACTLY what we need going forward. Will there be growing pains? Yep. But I'm willing to watch him grow and develop.
Cool and promising stat (according to Clayton Sayfie): Dug McDaniel's 7 assists are the most from a Michigan freshman point guard in a Big Ten game since Trey Burke (Jan. 5, 2012 against Indiana).
Sidenote: I wanted Jaelin Llewellyn to work out but it became increasing apparent that he was struggling to run our offense. But his injury has opened the door for McDaniel to become the lead guard in our offense.
Also, I really really like the potential of Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin as triple threat combo guards. (Jett is more of a small forward in college but he can be a 1/2/3 hybrid at this level.)
Finally, I like the depth on this team. Our 2nd unit with Tarris Reed and Youssef Khayat is intriguing. I hope to see Isaiah Barnes take a big step forward and become a regular in a 8-9 man rotation.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:17 AM ^
CRAZY EIGHTS: The first roughly eight minutes of the game and last roughly eight minutes of the game were nearly polar opposites. Michigan went up 24-11 at the start. Minnesota closed the game on a 26-9 run after Michigan went up 81-49.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:42 AM ^
I know there's approximately zero chance that the team shoots this well on a regular basis the rest of the season, but it sure was great to see Bufkin and McDaniel look comfortable out there.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:11 AM ^
This felt like a Juwan Howard team tonight. I could hear him in the background yelling out calls during free throws, telling guys to box out. And Dug brought increased tempo & attack dribbling/shooting that kind of unlocked the rest of the team. This will be a fun team as long as we stay healthy moving forward. Now the biggest glaring need is develop consistent rotations and get bench scoring. I'm fine with TWill because he's a dawg. And he will always complement Hunter on the floor.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:17 AM ^
Lol at Gregg Glenn.
Not going to ever be a candidate to put up a trillion in a box score - high energy, active on defense, amazing hair, and redefining the term "Black Hole" on offense.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:38 AM ^
I dig Dug.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:45 AM ^
Better Michigan teams than this one have lost in Williams Arena so I’m going to take this as a nice positive step.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:49 AM ^
That was a fun game to watch and love seeing Dug's speed change our entire offense.
One concern for me is possible gambling within the team. It seems pretty clear that TWill and Gregg Glenn have some sort of side bet on who can take (and badly miss) the worst shots on the court. GGIII was definitely excited to get in the game last night and give TWill a run for his money.
I'd like to see Juwan replace Williams with Jace so that TWill can see how hard work and hustle plays can (eventually) lead to the points he so badly wants. Only one player on the team has shot more 3's than Williams (and 8 have better 3pt percentages). He's a momentum killer. Hopefully the coaches can convince him to focus on boards & D for the time being without killing his confidence.
December 9th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
I'm a TWill fan, but agree that Jace needs more minutes at the 4. Weve already seen teams with big 4's who went right at TWill. Jace would be the better matchup AND he boosts the hustle and tenacity of the team when he's in the game.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:46 PM ^
Jace should not be getting more minutes. He doesn't offer much on offense and it's essentially like playing 4 on 5 with him on court.
If any, I rather have minutes going to others.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Yeah, I agree about Williams - he's a good high-energy guy but it feels like he's less effective the longer he's on the court especially against the bigger 4s. Putting in Howard isn't going to fix everything but feels like a guy who should be getting some more minutes.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Williams needs to have his minutes severely reduced. I thought he'd develop into a high-effort, defensive-minded player with some athleticism, but he seems to enamored with his own game -- jacking up way too many threes and refusing to box out / rebound hard on defense.
Replacing him with Jace or even Khayat for 20-25 minutes a game is the way to go -- both seem to put out high effort (with Khayat being more skilled but he's still learning the college game).
December 9th, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
Twill minutes should go to Tschetter (big boy who rebounds, is aggressive on D and shoots), Khayat and Jace
December 9th, 2022 at 1:04 PM ^
T-will is not a starter on any kind of good team. He gives them almost nothing.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:56 AM ^
i think dug needs to hop on trademarking "YTMND" (as in "you're the man now DUG") for hoops use...going over to ytmnd.com right now, and...oof. man, i miss the early internet.
anyhow. i say we ride him, hard. he's almost certainly going to explode in all directions for a year. but we really desperately need some continuity at the point. doing the transfer portal treadmill is like choosing to flip offensive and defensive coordinators every season. it's practially impossible to get a cohesive unit that way.
i absolutely love juwan howard, and i want him to stay here as long as he wants, but the guy really has a blind spot at the point. it's weird.
December 9th, 2022 at 10:58 AM ^
Please, please, please keep this kind of energy out the gate & aggressiveness on offense & defense for the rest of the season! Go Blue!
December 9th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
I watched the game (with the sound off because of announcers).
A very complete game from start to finish.
Seemed if the team is starting to come together on defense, and shooting was basically on finally.
If we shoot just a bit % better against Virginia, we win that one.
I'm glad we started the Big Ten with a win.
Win the Game. Get another Big Ten championship.
Go Blue.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:10 AM ^
Backcourt (Dug + Bufkin) was excellent last night. Very encouraging to see
Bufkin looks like our best perimeter defender by a mile, and offensively I don't love the long 2s but he clearly has confidence in that shot and you have to think the 3s will start falling for him too. His stroke looks too good for that not to happen.
Dug's game is going to have its ups and downs, and defensively he's going to have a hard time against bigger guards. But with the B1G as guard deprived as it is this year, he might be able to hold his own more often than not.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:35 AM ^
Not only did Barnes not start, he barely played.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
Im of the belief that if Bufkin and Dug went down Juwan would go to walk ons over Barnes. Its an eye opener that this version of Dug was on the bench for 30 minutes a game. As someone said above he has a blind spot at the guard positions.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:03 PM ^
Minor edit to your story. Dug had 3 steals to 2 TOs.
The speed that Dug plays with and getting the ball to the right places quickly had Minnesota's defense a step late much of the night. Then, he consistently drained the 3. He's a little shorter than Walton or Simpson were at the point. So taller defenders might cause him issues as they did Walton and Simpson, but I think that speed is another gear compared to the former point guards.
Meanwhile, Bufkin was equally fantastic. I think we all wondered how we would fare without Llewellyn, and it looks like we should be OK. T Will has earned the starting position, but he needs to be a little more aggressive. He's got great energy, and he needs to play with that as a starter.
Nice to see us dominate a Big Ten team to start the season.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
You're the man now, Dug
I see what you did there.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:01 PM ^
I literally had no idea Michigan was playing Minnesota last night. What a weird schedule.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:12 PM ^
Nobody is a bigger Dug fan than I. And I was overwhelmed by Dug’s performance. I definitely thought he would have more turnovers than steals. I was concerned he might have more turnovers than assists. That feeling was exasperated after UM’s first offensive possession. The fact he only had one more turnover throughout the rest of the game was incredible.
There will be a regression to the mean. He won’t go 100% from three every game unfortunately. And his defense looks like it could be a problem from time to time depending on the opponent, but every game will be electric from here on out. The split of the hedge that culminated in an acrobatic layup makes it all worthwhile for me. Pure energy and excitement!
December 9th, 2022 at 1:42 PM ^
I just met you and I love you.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:45 PM ^
I attended the game and concur with what Alex said in that the games of Dug and Kobe were very encouraging. Dug was quite disruptive at the defensive end, shot well, and made some nice passes. He had some head-scratching moments on offense (I was surprised to see that he was charged with only 2 turnovers), but he is a freshman getting his most extended play of his career. There was certainly more to like than dislike in this game.
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