Men's Basketball 2015-16 Non-Conference Opponent Notes
8/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 3, 2015
• 2015-16 U-M Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Le Moyne (Exhibition, Friday, Nov. 6)
• First meeting in the series.
• Nickname is the Dolphins.
• Member of the Northeast 10 Conference (Division II).
• Le Moyne was 16-13 last season; lost Northeast 10 Tournament quarterfinal.
• The 2015-16 season will be Patrick Beilein's first as head coach; Patrick is the son of U-M head coach John Beilein -- who was Le Moyne's head coach for nine seasons (1983-91) and compiled 163 wins.
Northern Michigan (Friday, Nov. 13)
• U-M leads 10-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Wildcats.
• Member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) (Division II).
• Northern Michigan was 9-19 last season; did not qualify for GLIAC Tournament.
• In the last series meeting, U-M won 97-50, on Nov. 14, 2009, at Crisler Center; U-M's Manny Harris scored a game-high 25 points, and DeShawn Sims added 22 points.
Elon (Monday, Nov. 16; Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland)
• First meeting in the series.
• Nickname is the Phoenix.
• Member of the Colonial Academic Association (CAA).
• Elon was 15-18 last season; lost in the CAA Tournament quarterfinal.
• Matt Matheny enters his seventh season as head coach; Matheny had previously been an assistant at Davidson.
• Elon men's basketball is one of 16 programs in the nation that has accumulated a perfect 1,000 multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score over the past four years.
Xavier (Friday, Nov. 20; Gavitt Games)
• U-M leads 3-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Musketeers.
• Member of the Big East.
• Xavier was 23-14 last season; lost in the Big East Tournament championship; lost in the NCAA Sweet 16.
• Chris Mack enters his seventh season as head coach; Mack is the first coach in school history to lead Xavier to three Sweet 16 appearances.
• In the series last meeting, U-M defeated Xavier, 92-87, on March 17, 1989, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Atlanta, Ga.; U-M's Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson each scored 23 points, leading to the 1989 national title.
• Xavier has made nine of the last 10 NCAA Tournament fields and 13 of the last 15.
• Xavier has reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last eight years -- (2008, '09, '10, '12 and '15).
vs. Charlotte (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• U-M trails 2-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the 49ers.
• Member of the Conference USA.
• Charlotte was 14-18 last season; lost in the C-USA Tournament first round.
• Former NBA great Mark Price enters his first year as head coach; Price joined the 49ers after two seasons as an assistant with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets.
• In the series last meeting, Charlotte defeated U-M, 63-61, on Nov. 24, 2013, in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip Off; U-M's Nik Stauskas scored a team-high of 20. The only other meeting between U-M and Charlotte came in the 1977 NCAA Mideast Regional Final, a 75-68 49er victory.
vs. Connecticut (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• U-M leads 2-1 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Huskies.
• Member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
• UConn was 20-15 last season; lost in AAC Tournament championship; lost in the Postseason NIT first round.
• Kevin Ollie enters his fourth season as head coach; Ollie played 13 seasons in the NBA; Ollie led UConn to the 2014 national championship.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated UConn, 68-63, on Jan. 17, 2010, at Crisler Center; U-M's Manny Harris scored a game-high of 18 points.
vs. Gonzaga (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• Potential first series meeting.
• Nickname is the Bulldogs.
• Member of the West Coast Conference (WCC).
• Gonzaga was 35-3 last season; won WCC regular-season and tournament titles; lost in the NCAA Elite Eight.
• Mark Few enters his 17th season as head coach; Few has 438 career victories and was the fifth-fastest coach to reach 400 career wins; Few coached USA Basketball at the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
• Gonzaga has won at least a share of the West Coast title in 14 of head coach Mark Few's 16 seasons.
vs. Syracuse (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• U-M trails 8-7 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Orange.
• Member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
• Syracuse was 18-13 last season; Syracuse was ineligible for postseason play.
• Jim Boeheim enters his 40th season as head coach; Boeheim has won 966 games at his alma mater; Boeheim led Syracuse to the 2003 national championship and eight Big East regular-season titles.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated Syracuse, 68-65, on Dec. 2, 2014, at Crisler Center, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; U-M's Zak Irvin scored a game-high 18 points, while Spike Albrecht had 11 points, nine assists and hit a huge three-pointer with 30 second remaining.
• U-M also faced Syracuse in the 2013 Final Four; U-M defeated Syracuse, 61-56, on April 6, 2013, sending the Maize and Blue to its first national title game appearance in 20 years.
vs. Texas (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• The all-time series is tied at 2-2.
• Nickname is the Longhorns.
• Member of the Big 12.
• Texas was 20-14 last season; lost in Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal; lost in the NCAA Second Round.
• Shaka Smart enters his first season as head coach; Smart joined the Longhorns following six seasons at VCU; after winning the CBI in his first season, VCU made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2011 Final Four.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated Texas, 79-65, on March 22, 2014, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament; U-M's Nik Stauskas scored a team-high 17 points in the victory.
• Three of the four previous meetings between U-M and Texas have come in the NCAA Tournament.
vs. Texas A&M (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• U-M leads 1-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Aggies.
• Member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
• Texas A&M was 21-12 last season; lost in SEC Tournament second round; lost in the second round of the NIT.
• Billy Kennedy enters his fifth season as head coach; prior to his arrival at Texas A&M he spent six seasons at Murray State, winning two Ohio Valley titles and making a trip to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
• In the only series meeting, U-M defeated Texas A&M, 82-79, on Dec. 22, 1962, at College Station; U-M's Bill Buntin paced with 20 points.
vs. Washington (Wed-Fri., Nov. 25-27; Battle 4 Atlantis)
• The all-time series is tied at 3-3.
• Nickname is the Huskies.
• Member of the Pacific-12 (Pac-12).
• Washington was 16-15 last season; lost in Pac-12 Tournament first round.
• A former player at Washington, Lorenzo Romar enters his 14th season as head coach of the Huskies.
• In the last series meeting, Washington defeated U-M, 65-61, on Dec. 30, 1994, at Edmundson Pavilion; U-M's Jimmy King led with 20 points.
at N.C. State (Tuesday, Dec. 1; ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
• The all-time series is tied at 3-3.
• Nickname is the Wolfpack.
• Member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
• N.C. State was 22-14 last season; lost in ACC Tournament quarterfinal; lost in the NCAA Sweet 16.
• Mark Gottfried enters his fifth season as head coach; Gottfried previously spent 11 seasons at Alabama.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated N.C. State, 79-72, on Nov. 27, 2012, at Crisler Center, as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; U-M's Trey Burke recorded a double-double (18 points, 11 assists), while Nik Stauskas added a game-high 20 points.
• The last three meetings between U-M and N.C. State have occurred in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; U-M holds a 2-1 record.
Houston Baptist (Saturday, Dec. 5)
• U-M leads 2-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Huskies.
• Member of the Southland Conference.
• Houston Baptist was 12-16 last season; did not make conference tournament.
• Ron Cottrell enters his 25th season as head coach; Cottrell has the eighth-longest tenure among Division I head coaches.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated Houston Baptist, 107-53, Dec. 7, 2013, at Crisler Center; U-M's Nik Stauskas scored a game-high 25 points, including six three-pointers.
at SMU (Tuesday, Dec. 8)
• U-M trails 0-1 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Mustangs.
• Member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
• SMU was 27-7 last season; won the AAC regular-season and tournament titles; lost in the NCAA second round.
• Larry Brown enters his fourth season as head coach; Brown is the only head coach to win both an NCAA championship (Kansas, 1988) and an NBA championship (Detroit Pistons, 2004).
• In the only series meeting, SMU defeated U-M, 62-51, on Dec. 20, 2014, at Crisler Center; U-M's Zak Irvin scored a team-high 17 points for the Maize and Blue.
Delaware State (Saturday, Dec. 12)
• U-M leads 4-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Hornets.
• Member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
• Delaware State was 18-18 last season; lost in MEAC Tournament championship; lost in College Basketball Invitational (CBI) first round -- first postseason appearance since 2007.
• Keith Walker enters his second season as head coach; Walker was the interim head coach of the Hornets during the 2012-13 season.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated Delaware State, 70-43 on Dec. 9, 2006, at Crisler Center; U-M's Dion Harris scored a team-high 16 points in the victory.
• Former Delaware State players Kendall Gray (Dover, Del.) and Amere May (South Haven, Mich.) were on the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls NBA Summer League teams, respectively.
Northern Kentucky (Tuesday, Dec. 15)
• First series meeting.
• Nickname is the Norse.
• Member of the Horizon League; became the 10th member of the Horizon League on July 1, 2015.
• Northern Kentucky was 13-17 last season; lost in Atlantic Sun Tournament quarterfinal-- its first postseason game in the NCAA Division I.
• John Brannen enters his first season as head coach; Brannen comes to NKU following six seasons as an assistant at Alabama.
• Northern Kentucky transitioned to Division I in 2012-13; previously was a Division II member playing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
Youngstown State (Saturday, Dec. 19)
• U-M leads 4-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Penguins.
• Member of the Horizon League.
• Youngstown State was 11-21 last season; lost in Horizon League Tournament first round.
• Jerry Slocum enters his 11th season as head coach; Slocum has won 699 career games with stops at Nyack, Geneva, Gannon and Youngstown State.
• In the last series meeting, U-M defeated Youngstown State, 65-56, on Nov. 22, 2006, at Crisler Center; U-M's Courtney Sims scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Maize and Blue.
• The Penguins have three Michigan natives on the team: Devin Haygood (Ypsilanti), Latin Davis (Ypsilanti) and Cameron Morse (Flint).
Bryant (Wednesday, Dec. 23)
• U-M leads 1-0 in the all-time series.
• Nickname is the Bulldogs.
• Member of the Northeast Conference.
• Bryant was 16-15 last season; lost in NEC Tournament semifinal.
• Tim O'Shea enters his eighth season as head coach; O'Shea joined the Bulldogs after seven years as head coach at Ohio University.
• In the only series meeting, U-M defeated Bryant, 87-71, on Dec. 23, 2010, at Crisler Center; U-M tied a school record with 16 triples while Darius Morris recorded a double-double (26 points, 12 assists).
• Current U-M assistant coach Bacari Alexander was an assistant under O'Shea at Ohio during the 2007-08 season.
• Current U-M strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson played for O'Shea at Ohio (2001-02).
• Current U-M director of basketball operations Pete Kahler spent four seasons under O'Shea -- two as a graduate assistant at Ohio (2006-08) and two as the Bryant's director of basketball operations (2008-10).
