After an offseason of wondering just how big Michigan would play this season, the Wolverines were forced to play small in their exhibition opener.
It was a decision driven by availability over strategy. Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. were held out of action, so the Wolverine frontcourt was Yaxel Lendeborg and Will Tschetter for the majority of the night.
Suffice to say, Bearcat center Moustapha Thiam had a size advantage over Tschetter at 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan.
The result was a 100-98 loss to Cincinnati, where the Wolverines trailed by 20 points, nearly came back, but fell short in the end. It was an October classic that took two and a half hours and featured 83 free-throw attempts.
Maybe there’s a reason October basketball used to be played behind closed doors after all.
This game ended up at 84 possessions, but the pace was dictated mainly by the whistles. There wasn’t all that much transition offense in either direction (Cinci won the fastbreak scoring 8-6), but there were a lot of fouls.
The Bearcats were whistled for 33 fouls, and the Wolverines were whistled for 27. Michigan went to the line 48 times (and shot an impressive 85% at the stripe).
Michigan’s 96% free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) would have been the program’s second-best in the KenPom era and best in over two decades. Of course, the game didn’t count and is a dress rehearsal for players, refs, and coaches to get ready for November. They all need it.
The Wolverines probably won’t post free-throw rates in the 90s consistently this year, but drawing fouls is a strength for several key contributors on this roster, and there’s no reason to think that Michigan won’t get to the line consistently.
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