The Michigan Wolverines played their sole exhibition game against Northwood, and the new-look Wolverines put on a show, defeating the Timberwolves, 92-45.
Michigan lost six players from last year’s squad, with Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin going to the NBA, Isaiah Barnes leaving for Tulsa, Hunter Dickinson transferring to Kansas, Gregg Glenn III heading to Tulane, and Joey Baker graduating and now playing professionally in Lithuania.
Not to mention, head coach Juwan Howard underwent heart surgery in September, which will likely keep him out of coaching for the start of the season.
With the new Michigan team, a lot of questions surrounded the chemistry, the consistent shooting, and even the different coaching style of associate head coach Phil Martelli. While it was a small sample size, the Wolverines managed to defeat No. 5 Marquette in a scrimmage, and now blowing out Northwood.
Here are my thoughts on the game:
Initial Impressions on the Newcomers
Despite losing six players from last year, the Wolverines added five newcomers to the team.
Nimari Burnett came to the Michigan program as a former five-star All-American. After playing at Texas Tech and Alabama, Burnett came to Ann Arbor looking for more minutes and a fresh start.
In the exhibition game against Northwood, Burnett finished with nine points and six assists, finishing the first half 3-for-3 from three-point range. Overall, Burnett’s veteran presence was shown in this one, passing the rock and taking high-percentage shots. Something else to note, Burnett finished the game with 26 minutes, after just averaging 17.7 minutes per game at Texas Tech and 14.7 minutes per game at Alabama. Look for Burnett to get a good share of playing time early in the season, at least until Jaelin Llewellyn comes back from his torn ACL.
Coming off the bench against the Timberwolves, Tray Jackson made an immediate impact, going 4-for-4 in the first half with nine points, scoring seven of the first 16 points to start the second half, and eventually finishing with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
I was particularly impressed with Jackson’s three-point ability (3-of-4), and being able to play both at the three and the four. With Jace Howard out four-to-six weeks with a stress fracture in his right knee, Jackson should see plenty of opportunities.
The guy everyone was most excited to see coming into the season has to be Olivier Nkamhoua. He was decent offensively tonight, shooting 5-of-7 for 11 points, but was most notable on defense, grabbing eight rebounds, tallying three blocks and even getting a steal. He also finished with six assists, taking multiple defenders with him, and dishing it off the open guys.
While it was a very small sample size, Nkamhoua attracts bodies wherever it goes, and that only creates more opportunities.
The sole freshman scholarship player, George Washington III was said to be the best shooter on the team coming into the season. Coming off the bench in the exhibition, tonight, Washington looked nervous, shooting just 3-of-12 for seven points, but those first-game jitters were to be expected.
There is no denying Washington is primed for big things in the Maize and Blue, but it may take time to get acclimated to the college game. Be patient with Washington, as he does have a ton of veteran leadership around him to guide him throughout the season.
One guy in particular stood out to me
The guy who dominated all phases of the game tonight was sophomore point guard Dug McDaniel.
With the loss of Dickinson, Bufkin and Howard, McDaniel is expected to step up in a big way this season, being just one of three players who had valuable minutes last season and who returned.
McDaniel dominated in all phases of the game, scoring 16 points, and tallying three assists one steal. With an uncertain backcourt going into the season, McDaniel proved he is willing to be the primary scorer and shot creator when this team is searching for a guy to step up.
Areas of Improvement
One thing that has to improve is free-throw shooting. With guys like Terrance Williams II and Tarris Reed Jr. struggling last season from the line — plus the fact Michigan lost many games within six points last season — the team shot 8-of-11 from the charity stripe tonight. Look for that area of the game to be in the spotlight, at least through the first half of the season.
Overall, the Wolverines dominated against Northwood tonight, serving as a strong build-up to the start of the season on Tuesday against UNC Ashville.