ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A day after many of the big names in college basketball tipped off their 2023-24 seasons, Michigan basketball had its turn to take the hardwood. It hoped Tuesday night’s matchup would go better than Monday night did for a certain rival to the West.
The Wolverines had a hot start, leading UNC-Asheville by 15 points early. Near the end of the first half, the maize and blue pushed that lead to 21. Some mistakes late allowed the Bulldogs to cut the lead to 16.
The second half started with a bang when Dug McDaniel hit a 3 and a steal by Nimari Burnett led to a breakaway layup and an and-1. It didn’t take long for the lead to balloon to 27 points just past the under-16 media timeout, and the rout was on.
With Phil Martelli acting as interim head coach while Juwan Howard continues to recuperate from heart surgery, Michigan defeated UNC-Asheville, 99-74. Here are our five takeaways from the season opener.