Michigan 99, UNC-Asheville 74
In the season opener against respectable mid-major opposition, Michigan Men's Basketball thoroughly ripped apart the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs with a whizbang offensive performance en route to a comfortable 99-74 victory. Sophomore guard Dug McDaniel and transfer power forward Olivier Nkamhoua were the stars as Michigan shot a sizzling 57% from the floor, including 12 of 26 from three. The ball movement looked crisp, shooting was lights out, and 13 different players got to see the floor in this blowout. For a program that badly needed a Good Vibes win after a profound Bad Vibes season last year, this was just what the doctor ordered.
UNC-Asheville scored first on a pair of free throws following a Tarris Reed Jr. foul, but Nimari Burnett answered with a three to put Michigan up 3-2 in the first minute. They never trailed again. By the under 16 media timeout, Michigan had already put 13 points on the board to take a seven point lead, with the biggest visual stand-out being McDaniel. The diminutive guard averaged just 2.7 three point attempts per game last season but he fired off a couple looks in just the first couple minutes alone. It was clear right off the jump that McDaniel's not going to be timid shooting the jumper this season and he kept firing away all night long, with great success.
There's not much of a narrative to speak of tonight, as Michigan led by 15 just over 11 minutes in and the margin never got to single digits again. Michigan was firmly in command of the game from start to finish and there aren't many negatives to speak of for Michigan fans. If there were two to speak of, it would be second-half defensive lapses (which probably were score effects more than anything else) and fouls.
[Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The fouls, I should note, were a bit of an issue for both sides, as the two teams combined for 41 fouls on the evening. Asheville star Drew Pember racked up four fouls quite early in the game (relatively speaking) and was limited to 21 minutes as a result, pouring in points late in the contest (mostly at the free throw line) but his impact on the game was light. On Michigan's side, Nimari Burnett finished with four fouls and George Washington III picked up three pretty quickly, but not too much else impacted usage in terms of fouls. The high volume of fouls is something to monitor, but it could easily be the result of who happened to be refereeing this evening and nothing more.
Otherwise, Michigan was precise and dominant, an effort Phil Martelli (and Juwan Howard, presumably watching from afar) is certainly going to be happy with. Praise has to start with Dug McDaniel, who looked like a legitimate star. He played with poise and aggression, looking like the sort of player who can be a focal point of an offense and a volume scorer if his team needs. Dug finished second on the team with 15 field goal attempts, shooting 9/15. His improved three point stroke was apparent, 5/9 for the game with one pull-up three in the second half announcing firmly that this is a new Dug McDaniel. He also dished out eight assists and got a steal in 31 minutes, scoring 22 points and finishing with a team-best +28. If you wanted to see signs of a sophomore leap for McDaniel, they were everywhere to be found tonight.
The other big name was Olivier Nkamhoua, who led the team with 25 points. Nkamhoua narrowly edged McDaniel for the team lead in FGAs with 16, putting up 12 from inside the arc (10/12!!) and going 1/4 from the beyond the long line. A not-insignificant amount of Nkamhoua's points were dunks, as Michigan's fluid ball movement found him open inside for easy buckets. Nkamhoua also snatched down seven rebounds and recorded three assists, playing team basketball and helping his teammates score as much as they were helping him. Michigan's two stars on the evening were most memorable during McDaniel's alley-oop for Nkamhoua near the end of the first half, which got an audible yelp from your author.
[Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The other three starters tonight were Nimari Burnett at the 2, Terrance Williams II at the 3, and Tarris Reed Jr. at the 5. These players all had quieter evenings than the headliners, but none were bad by any means. Burnett did battle the whistle, as noted in the fouls section, but the shooting that will be so crucial for Michigan's ability to score and space the floor, was exactly what you wanted: 2/3 from three. A similar thing could be said for T-Will, who shot 3-5 from three and scored 15 points. Williams continued to do his glue guy stuff, grabbing six rebounds and he defended pretty well, with two of Michigan's three blocks on the night. A spin-and-finish off a McDaniel pass was his highlight for me. As for Reed, he only played 20 minutes and was rather quiet offensively but it's hard to argue with his efficiency: 4/4 from the floor. Reed grabbed seven rebounds, his best being a neat follow-up tip-in on a missed shot by Will Tschetter.
Michigan's starting lineup was summed up by an offensive possession in the second half. Dug McDaniel pulled up and showed a shot, sucking in defenders before dishing to an open Nkamhoua. The forward's three was off the mark but Nimari Burnett pulled down the offensive rebound, who kicked it out to an open Terrance Williams II for a three from the wing, which T-Will canned. Hustle on the glass, energy, compete, unselfish basketball, and great ball movement finding open shooters.
[Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The reserves weren't any worse than the starters in these regards. Will Tschetter logged 21 minutes as the most-used reserve, drawing a charge and finishing off a beautiful up-and-under. He also went 2/2 from three, shooting which will be essential for Tschetter to be a plus-player this season. Tray Jackson played 20 minutes but he didn't make a large offensive impact, just three points on a lone field goal (and free throw) make. Based on what we saw in the exhibition, it feels like there is more for Jackson to unlock.
George Washington III got into the action and played 16 minutes, but was unable to score his first collegiate points. I did like his pass from the baseline under pressure to find an open McDaniel in the corner, who knocked down the three and netted GW3 an assist. Youssef Khayat played seven minutes and made a couple free throws, but didn't score from the floor. Walk-ons Cooper Smith, Jackson Selvala, Harrison Hochberg, and Ian Burns all got on the floor late in the game, with Smith finishing off an acrobatic layup that ended up being Michigan's final score of the contest.
In totality, it is just one game, but it's hard to reasonably imagine a better first game. Michigan was facing an Asheville team that went 27-8 last season, 16-2 in Big South play and the conference tournament victor, a 15 seed in the tournament. That team returned seven of its top nine players, including its stars, and Michigan swatted them aside with no trouble. The KenPom line was Michigan+12 and Vegas' was Michigan+11. The Wolverines won by double that margin, doing so with style and energy. A good first outing for Michigan. They have one more game before facing a power conference team, with Youngstown State coming to Ann Arbor on Friday. That game is scheduled for 6:30 PM and will be broadcast on BTN.
[Click the JUMP for the box score]
November 7th, 2023 at 11:39 PM ^
Awesome effort! So much good looking ball from so many unexpected contributors. I'm going to have to learn how to spell Nkamhoua.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:00 AM ^
I had to start with learning how to pronounce it lol
November 7th, 2023 at 11:44 PM ^
Combined with last night's shit-show in EL, couldn't have scripted a better start to the season
November 7th, 2023 at 11:56 PM ^
Michigan was +12?!
Damn. Ok ok
November 8th, 2023 at 5:55 AM ^
Yeah, THAT lede got buried
November 8th, 2023 at 8:44 AM ^
That was written poorly in the article. Michigan was favored by 11-12 points (i.e. the Vegas line was Michigan -11 not +11).
November 8th, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
yeah since we didn't get a preview I had no idea what to think of UNC Ashville. I guess kenpom has them as #170, so not too shabby.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:00 AM ^
Wow! Between the injuries, the new faces, and Coach Howard recuperating from his heart surgery, this was pretty much the last thing I expected to see. The energy, the poise, the chemistry, the fearlessness, who are these guys!? They keep this up, everyone is going to know who these guys are, Go Blue!
November 8th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
Seniors win Championships
November 8th, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
So does Phil Martelli.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:08 AM ^
So much more energy than last year!
We're going to have games where shots don't fall, and things won't always be as rosy as tonight, but ... the effort and the ball movement were encouraging, and it looked like those guys actually liked each other, and liked playing with each other, which is a big change from last year.
I'm on the record as fully supporting Juwan, but I wonder how many of the commenters here who gave him so much heat over the past 7 months will acknowledge that this team may not be as much of a lost cause as they predicted?
Keep it rolling, Blue!
November 8th, 2023 at 12:11 AM ^
Jett-->NBA was addition by subtraction.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:47 AM ^
Hunter -> Kansas was addition by subtraction.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
What is the status of Llewellyn? Our one missing incoming transfer. I would have thought his ACL would have healed by now.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^
No timeline but December will be 12 months so hopefully sometime around then. Any ball handling he could provide and allowing others to be in their roles would be really clutch.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
"Incoming transfer?"
He has incame and been here a year already
November 8th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Right, a year ago
November 8th, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
Yeah Dug looked really good but he played the first 18 minutes straight. If he were to miss some time there is literally no backup right now. Burnett looks like he can do some things but PG isn't one of them.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
Yeah going from your "leader" being Hunter to being Dug is a huge upgrade
November 8th, 2023 at 12:20 AM ^
It sure ain't a Beilein team, but I think we may have a hell of a team this year. Even Will Tschetter and Twill look like they are coming into their own. GO BLUE! Olivere may be a beast.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:43 AM ^
After only 1 game?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Give it at least 10 games before we know if this team is better than expected.
Good, fun game tonight. WAY TOO EARLY to make any lasting deductions.
#GoBlue
November 8th, 2023 at 6:17 AM ^
Hard to imagine them ending up anywhere below the 1seed line at this point
November 8th, 2023 at 7:15 AM ^
They're a virtual lock.
November 8th, 2023 at 8:28 AM ^
To be fair, we looked this good against approximately 0 of our non-con "cupcakes" last year. Cupcakes in quotes because we almost lost to half of them and did lose to one of the worst ones we faced.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:11 AM ^
This is the point. No one is annointing them NCAA champions at this point. We're merely saying they're off to a very good start.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
It's also been reported that we beat Marquette in the secret scrimmage, which doesn't count in the standings but is a good omen.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
Yeah last year was a struggle against Eastern, Jackson St., and Lipscomb (all of those were <=10 point wins) which are teams either near or significantly worse than UNC Asheville. Then of course the Central loss which was a team outside the top 300.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
Actually, we have two games; there is also the super-secret game against Marquette. Marquette is ranked preseason #5 this year and they are coming off a season where they were the Big East regular season and tournament champions. We beat them 115-111, though that was on an NBA clock. From what I heard Michigan played 9 players and 8 of them hit double-digit points. They were the more physical team, much like today, and hit 35 free throws. I think Marquette only has one player over 6' 7" so there is that. Still, I think they are only missing one player from last year's team and they should be good this year.
Anyways, considering there were pretty much zero expectations for this team, 'better than expected' is a pretty big set of possibilities. You saw that game, didn't you? Those guys played GOOD. That wasn't a 'launch the three, make the three' over-and-over game at all, though they did shoot well from outside.
I am a Fred Jackson disciple, so there is that, but I think this is going to be a fun, successful year for the Wolverines. Despite the small sample size and questionable p-value.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:03 AM ^
Anyone else see the Pinkerton Detective Agency advertising at Crisler?
Probably just a coincidence.
November 8th, 2023 at 2:12 AM ^
I don't know shit about basketball, but #13 looks pretty good.
Dunks are good, right?/
November 8th, 2023 at 7:01 AM ^
It will be wonderful if we're able to root for a full team effort, all working together, with energy.
Go, Blue!
November 8th, 2023 at 7:59 AM ^
T Will. I have been so ambivalent about him. He has been infuriating in that past, with so many Doh! moments. But I have always rooted for him to play up to his potential. I would be very happy for him to see this continue.
November 8th, 2023 at 8:35 AM ^
Dug looked awesome, and The Big Cheese looked more like a player than Bambi on ice. Couldn’t have asked for a better start. They all looked like they were having fun. How many times could you say that last year?
November 8th, 2023 at 8:43 AM ^
I went to the game without doing any preview reading about UM or their opponent. I assumed UNCA was the usual tomato can early-season opponent. I didn't really know what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect THAT! UNCA is a legitimate mid-major, an NCAA tournament team with mostly returning production, and they were treated like a low 200's ranked team.
Credit to the coaches and players for being so well prepared after a difficult summer. Challenges remain, but if we can get another ballhandler this team has real possibilities. Their length and ability to switch on defense is going to be a difference maker.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
UNCA is not your typical tomato can team. They're a legitimate NCAA tourney team aka good enough to win the conference with the preseason POY. Michigan handled them with ease which speaks good things about them.
Michigan beat a top 5 team in the secret scrimmage and dominated Northwood. So far, so good.
November 8th, 2023 at 8:49 AM ^
This game was great and our team looked very impressive, but the refs in this game were awful. There were 41 fouls called in this game and if I am not mistaken, both teams were in the bonus before halfway through the first half. It's November.....let's the boys play some basketball!
November 8th, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
So much fun to watch. And a needed positive distraction from everything else. Thanks, guys!!
November 8th, 2023 at 9:32 AM ^
My man T-Will has eligibility through 2033
November 8th, 2023 at 9:35 AM ^
That's fantastic! Is Michigan basketball back?
What's going on with Lee Aaliya?
Imagine if we had him and Caleb Love as well?
Excited that the guys we have look good.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:40 AM ^
I will say it again, directed at all the Juwan haters.... JUWAN IS PAR FOR THE COURSE.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
The amazing thing: he's only starting his sophomore year. Dug's a dude.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^
Great opening effort and win.
Pember was the real-deal. We handled him well.
It was apparent the team was putting in the work off season and we're fortunate to have Martelli around with Howard (get well soon coach) to keep the team focused.
After a sparty loss and UM football finally "fighting back" - its been a plus week.
Go Blue.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:22 AM ^
In the interest of full disclosure, the ref show handled Pember. He was saddled with foul trouble the entire game. The refshow was truly awful. There were 7 fouls called before the first TV timeout, and it set an unfortunate tone.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
Harrison Hochberg
Wait, doesn't he play QB for Nebraska?
November 8th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
Excited about the season, the Atlantis games should help verify what appears to be an elite defensive team this year. Which would be a complete 180 from last year. The passing movement & shooting was also outstanding, and I love the quick triggers especially. No hesitation - trust your instincts. Go Blue
November 8th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
They should be much better defensively, but I'm not sure we have evidence yet of "elite"
November 8th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
Off to a good start. Go Blue!
November 8th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
I watched most of the first half before I had to get to bed last night. The biggest takeaway I had was that the team was much more cohesive than last year’s team. There was a whole lot more working to either get themselves open and/or get their teammates, who were open, the ball for easy shots. They worked much better together than last years team which may have had five players on the court, but with everyone worrying more about themselves their offense and defense seemed completely disjointed.
This years team, if they continue to play this way the rest of the season, will make some noise.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:42 AM ^
Basically 8-man rotation. Concerning for a long season. Still not sold this team finishes over .500
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