Michigan basketball looks potent in season-opening win, 96-82, over Bowling Green
There weren't any fans at Crisler Center on Wednesday night.
And there wasn't any defense, either.
Michigan basketball raced to a 96-82 season-opening win over Bowling Green, shooting over 50% from the field and knocking down 10 3s.
The Wolverines had five players reach double digits, led by Chaundee Brown (19 points), Isaiah Livers (17) and Mike Smith (16).
Here are takeaways from Michigan's first game:
Early look at starting five, rotation
Michigan's starting lineup was as expected: Smith, Brooks, Wagner, Livers and Austin Davis. But the Wolverines weren't afraid to go to the bench early and often — especially in the front-court. In the first half, Davis, Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns Jr. all made appearances at the '5.' Howard also wasn't afraid to go to an even smaller lineup that featured Smith, Brooks, Wagner, Livers and Terrance Williams. That rotation will likely grow smaller as the season continues, but for today, Howard showed a willingness to test different lineups.
In total, ten different players saw playing time in the first half. Livers played a team-high 35 minutes, while Brooks and Smith played 32 and 31 minutes, respectively.
Transfers make big impact
It was all Mike Smith in the first half. And then Chaundee Brown's scoring surge in the second half helped Michigan pull away. The Wolverines got sizable contributions from both of its additions from the transfer portal, and both Smith and Brown look like key contributors on this team. Smith looks like Michigan's point guard and played like it; in his first ten minutes, he had six points and three assists and finished with 16 points and eight assists. Smith was in control and consistently found open shooters; he also found open teammates on the fast break.
Brown, meanwhile, made good on the message he had for reporters earlier this fall, when he said he was a better shooter than his 31% 3-point percentage indicated. He missed his first attempt Wednesday night — then made the next four, finishing with five total 3s in the second half. Brown scored eight consecutive points in the second half and then made a big 3 after Bowling Green cut Michigan's lead to nine with around eight minutes left. Brown didn't start, but he will play a major role as the sixth man.
Offense doesn't miss a beat
Michigan's offense looked similar to last season's, as the Wolverines called for ball screens on essentially every half-court possession. The only difference: They didn't have Zavier Simpson to operate out of those screens. But at least for this game, Michigan didn't feel the absence of Simpson. Smith and Brooks combined for 12 assists. Wagner and Livers each had opportunities to handle the ball and run the offense. The Wolverines rarely took contested shots, finding plenty of open 3s, and despite a cold start, those 3s eventually started going down. Michigan also looked to attack in transition and was effective in doing so. The Wolverines scored a robust 1.35 points per possession and assisted on 23 of 33 made field goals. That is as good of a start to the post-Simpson era as they could have asked for.
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball looks potent in 96-82 win over Bowling Green
