Five takeaways from Michigan’s season-opening 121-78 win over Oakland

Monday night’s season opener for the No. 7 Michigan men’s basketball team was one for the record books. The Wolverines set a program record with 69 first-half points and tied the most made 3-pointers in program history with 19.

Against Oakland, a strong mid-major team that runs a unique zone defense, Michigan had no trouble shooting, passing, or matching up on defense. The Wolverines demonstrated exactly what they can look like when they play a complete basketball game.

Using what it learned from two quality exhibition games, Michigan proved that it’s ready for any competition. So here are five takeaways, including several injury updates, from the win over the Golden Grizzlies.

Trey McKenney can be a difference maker for Michigan

Freshman guard Trey McKenney didn’t have the performances he was looking for in the two exhibition games. McKenney was 0-for-7 shooting against Cincinnati and 1-for-5 against St John’s. 

For a player who was praised as a recruit and in the offseason for his shooting, McKenney had something to prove against Oakland.

“I know the amount of work I put in,” McKenney said. “We’ve been stressing process over outcome, and I just let that stick in my head. It really worked out just letting the game come to me, but I didn’t have any problem missing shots.”

McKenney didn’t let the poor performances get to him, especially because the two games didn’t matter for the Wolverines’ record. Instead, he put his head down and finished with 21 points on a team-high six made 3-pointers. McKenney also played more minutes than anyone else (28) and used those minutes to test out different positions, from being the primary ball handler to playing off-ball in catch-and-shoot situations.

But not only was his shooting on point, McKenney finished with four assists and no turnovers, handling his collegiate basketball debut with confidence and poise. For a young guard who has also been praised highly for his maturity, proving that he could handle the big stage gives both him and the Wolverines a multitude of confidence in how he can impact Michigan in the future.