Homestand to Roll On Wednesday with ACC/Big Ten Challenge
11/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2016
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In the second game of its four-game home stand, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (5-1) will host Virginia Tech on Wednesday (Nov. 30) in the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Crisler Center. The game will be one of the first games on the third day of Challenge games with a 7 p.m. tipoff at Crisler Center.
THE ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
• After dropping the first 10 in the Challenge series, the Big Ten has won the last seven Commissioners Cups. Last year, the Big Ten had an 8-6 record to retain the Cup.
• There will be 14 total games in this year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The ACC expanded to 15 teams four years ago, so Boston College will not be part of the 2016 Challenge.
• Duke has the best Challenge record at 15-2; while Purdue has the top Big Ten mark at 9-6.
THE MAIZE & BLUE IN THE CHALLENGE
• Michigan has played in 15 of the 17 ACC/Big Ten Challenges and carries a 7-8 all-time mark. Last year, the Wolverines defeated North Carolina State, 66-59, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Overall, U-M is 4-3 in Challenge games played at Crisler Center, winning the last two -- N.C. State (79-72, Nov. 27, 2012) and Syracuse (68-65, Dec. 2, 2014).
• Tonight's game will be the first time U-M and Virginia Tech have met in the Challenge.
• Michigan will have faced 11 different opponents in the Challenge after tonight's game against the Hokies. U-M has played N.C. State the most with four games (3-1).
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH
• Virginia Tech won the third-place game at the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, defeating Nebraska, 66-53. Zach LeDay came off the bench to score 19 points and grab nine rebounds.
• LeDay leads the Hokies with a 16.3 scoring average and 7.7 rebounds a game. His brother, Seth, will redshirt this season at Virginia Tech after transferring from NW Mississippi C.C.
• Virginia Tech, which is 5-1, has one loss -- a 68-65 setback to Texas A&M in the semifinal of the Wooden Legacy. The Hokies have home wins against Maine, High Point and VMI and neutral-site wins against New Mexico and Nebraska.
• Virginia Tech has a 3-7 record in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and fell to Northwestern, 81-79, in overtime in last year's event.
• Head coach Buzz Williams is in his third season in Blacksburg and has a 36-38 record at VT. Williams was the head coach at Marquette for six seasons and was 184-123 at his time in Milwaukee.
• The Hokies were 20-15 in 2015-16 and advanced to the second round of the NIT, falling to BYU 80-77.
THIS AND THAT
• Michigan is 5-1 early in the 2016-17 season. The Wolverines won the 2K Classic with victories over Marquette (79-61) and SMU (76-54) at MSG. U-M's lone loss was at South Carolina (61-46) just before Thanksgiving.
• After Duncan Robinson started the first two games, D.J. Wilson has moved into the starting rotation at the four spot. The remaining starting five are Derrick Walton Jr., Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Zak Irvin and Moritz Wagner.
• Derrick Walton Jr. leads U-M in scoring at 13.8 points per game. He needs just 35 more (965) to become the 51st Wolverines to reach 1,000 in a career.
• Walton Jr. has guided the Wolverines in scoring thanks in part to his long-range shooting. He is shooting 42.9 percent from deep with a team-best 18 three-pointers. The next-closest Wolverine in Zak Irvin with eight. Overall, Walton hit for a career-best seven triples in U-M's win over Marquette (Nov. 17).
• Mark Donnal has become U-M's sixth man, averaging 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds and shooting 63.3 percent from the field. He is also 2-for-3 from long range.
• In his first 31 career games, D.J. Wilson has recorded 13 total blocks. Through six games this season, he has 10 total blocks. In addition to his swats, he has 24 total rebounds over two seasons but already doubled that with 49 (8.2 rpg) this season.
• In a roommate-assist battle, Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. are tied with 21 apiece. Walton holds the edge in scoring, 13.8 to 12.8, and has posted two 20-point games, while each has five double-figure scoring games.
• After losing long-time assistants Bacari Alexander (Detroit) and LaVall Jordan (Milwaukee) to Division I head coaching jobs, U-M coach John Beilein enlisted the help of two new assistant coaches, Billy Donlon (former head coach at Wright State) and Saddi Washington (associate head coach at Oakland). Together the duo brings a combined 30 years of experience with college basketball.
• Michigan had five departures from a year ago with two graduating seniors -- Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht -- as well as three sophomore transfer -- Aubrey Dawkins (Central Florida), Rickey Doyle (Florida Gulf Coast) and Kameron Chatman (Detroit).
WHAT'S AHEAD?
• Michigan continues its four-game homestand Saturday (Dec. 3), hosting Kennesaw State inside Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
• The homestand wraps up next Tuesday (Dec. 6) with a 9 p.m. game against Texas. The Wolverines will then hit the road for a matchup at UCLA, set for Saturday, Dec. 10, at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. ET).
