For the second straight year, Michigan basketball opened up the season against in-state Oakland University. But would the result of the game -- and the season -- be the same as last year?
The Wolverines broke the Big Ten national championship drought, one that lasted 25 years. But it's a new (ish) regime in Ann Arbor, with former assistant Mike Boynton Jr. taking over for Dusty May after the latter departed for the NBA. There are some familiar faces on the court, but it's mostly a new cast of characters.
In the first half, Michigan couldn't quite dampen the Golden Grizzlies' offensive attack as well as it had a year ago, when it won 121-78. But eventually, though the Wolverines solved the zone defense enough, the second half was an overall defensive slog, with both teams struggling to score. Michigan had pulled away to some degree, getting up to a 15-point lead, but the Grizzlies clawed back, pulling within seven on the heels of an 8-0 run.
The Wolverines responded with a run to push the lead back to 16, and they didn't look back. They finished with the wide margin, beating Oakland, 84-68.
Here are our five takeaways from Michigan's season opener.
All three of Michigan's frontcourt starters departed for the NBA draft, and all three ended up being lottery picks. Thus, there were some new faces in the season opener, though the most anticipated one -- Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam -- didn't make his debut, as he was out with flu symptoms.
However, Tennessee transfer JP Estrella took his place in the starting lineup, and he was impressive.
Estrella was unstoppable for the maize and blue, savoring his increased role compared to his tenure with the Vols. On both ends of the floor, he got to work -- whether it was getting loose balls or scoring, he was persistent and consistent. He finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, behind only Roddy Gayle Jr. and Trey McKenney's 17 points, scoring-wise. He was hampered by foul trouble, fouling out with 4:50 remaining in the game, but was an impact player the entire time he was in the game.
But freshman Quinn Costello shouldn't be overlooked.
Coming in as a bench player, he made plays both down low and on the perimeter. He drained three 3s (though he attempted 10), and certainly was an offensive force. There's some work for him to do on the defensive end, but he looks like he could be a player down the line. He had 13 points, four rebounds, and a block in his college debut.
Oscar Goodman, thrust into the starting lineup, had a fine showing. His stat line didn't tell the whole story, as he managed 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. He also certainly made his presence felt on the defensive side of the court.
Additionally, though not much of a scoring threat, Jalen Reed finished with eight rebounds.
Michigan finished with 48 points in the paint.
But this offense isn't quite as explosive as last year -- at least not yet.
Michigan made it a point to limit Oakland's primary offensive player, guard Chris Fields Jr., but he still was able to get his, as well as create opportunities for others. While there was a lot of good work, particularly down low (Michigan allowed just 24 points in the paint). The Golden Grizzlies had a strong start from beyond the arc, but the Wolverines clamped down in the second half.
Of course, the defense was going to look a bit different without the same length as last year, and perhaps it will look different with Thiam in the lineup. The Wolverines managed six blocks in the game, which is good, but certainly not the same as when Aday Mara was roaming the middle of the frontcourt. But it was encouraging to see that the Wolverines held Oakland to zero fast-break points.
The defense really clamped down in the second half, forcing a five-plus-minute scoring drought for Oakland, and holding the Grizzlies to 32 second-half points. When Thiam gets into the lineup, we'll know more about the consistent potential for these Wolverines, on both sides of the ball.
Often in a season opener, you see a lot of players get in on the action because it's supposed to be a game where Michigan blows out the competition. But we saw nine players get meaningful action in this one, even without Thiam being available.
The makeshift starting five aside, we saw great things from the aforementioned Quinn Costello, but also guards Ricky Liburd and Columbia transfer Kenny Noland, and LSU transfer Jalen Reed (who's still working back from a ruptured Achilles tendon).
Michigan had four players score in double digits, and eight of nine scored (Ricky Liburd was the only one who hadn't). Marcus Moller even got into the game late, an encouraging sign since he had the cancer scare in the offseason.
The Wolverines finished with 22 bench points in the game.
Michigan had looked vastly improved at handling the basketball compared to many games last year, having only two turnovers in the first half. However, there was a lot more carelessness in the second half, with four turnovers in just the first three-and-a-half minutes. The Wolverines ended up finishing with nine turnovers in the game.
Just something to monitor, given that it has been an issue in Ann Arbor for, well, years.
You can see the building blocks of a very good team, perhaps an elite team. It's difficult to quantify without Moustapha Thiam in the lineup, as he's expected to be one of the stars on this team. And offensively, there was a stretch where the Wolverines got stuck in the mud without many answers to break free. But we're seeing some players playing increased minutes, like star guard Trey McKenney and the aforementioned Estrella. But with the depth potential of this group, there's a high ceiling. But what can't quite be understood just yet is what the floor is.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan basketball beats Oakland 84-68: Five takeaways from opener
