U-M to Open 2017-18 with North Florida, Raise Championship Banner

Saturday, November 11

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:30 PM

Michigan

North Florida

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U-M to Open 2017-18 with North Florida, Raise Championship Banner

11/11/2017 11:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan will open the 2017-18 season by hosting North Florida in a Maui Jim Maui Invitational Mainland Match-Up. U-M is making its fourth appearance in the annual Thanksgiving week tournament.
» The Wolverines will raise the 2017 Big Ten Tournament championship banner prior to the game. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., so fans are encouraged to arrive early.
» The Wolverines return nine players from their championship roster of a year ago while welcoming seven newcomers including graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons.

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 11 -- vs. North Florida (Crisler Center), 7:30 p.m.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team (0-0) will open its regular season by hosting North Florida (0-1) in a Maui Jim Maui Invitational Mainland Match-Up, Saturday (Nov. 11) at 7:30 p.m. The game will also feature a pregame ceremony for the Wolverines as they raise the banner for the 2017 Big Ten Tournament championship.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA

• North Florida posted a 15-19 record a season ago, including an 8-6 mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference, finishing third in the league. The Ospreys opened their 2017-18 campaign with a 98-66 loss at No. 2 Michigan State.
• The Ospreys reached the Atlantic Sun Tournament final last season, falling to Florida Gulf Coast, which earned the league's NCAA Tournament bid.
• Last season, North Florida ranked second in the A-Sun in rebounds per game (38.9) and first in blocks per game (4.21).
• North Florida returns a pair of starters from a season ago, including Garrett Sams, who is the leading returning scorer for the Ospreys at 10.4 points per game. Sams shot 42.2 percent from three-point range last season as a freshman.
• North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll is beginning his ninth season with the Ospreys. Driscoll has a 133-131 record at UNF and guided the program to the 2015 NCAA Tournament and 2016 NIT.
• The Ospreys are opening the season with a two-game trip to the state of Michigan, as they played last night at Michigan State.
• Tonight's contest will be the first all-time meeting between Michigan at North Florida.

A BANNER NIGHT

• Tonight's game will begin with a pregame ceremony celebrating Michigan's run to the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title. In a well-publicized event, the Wolverines went on to win four games in four days following a plane accident prior to leaving for the conference event in Washington, D.C.
• Arriving 40 minutes prior to the start of their first scheduled game, the Wolverines went on to defeat No. 9 seed Illinois (75-55), No. 1 seed Purdue (74-70 OT), No. 4 seed Minnesota (84-77) and No. 2 seed Wisconsin (71-56) in the championship game.
• Former captain, and current two-way player with the Miami Heat, Derrick Walton Jr., who won Most Outstanding Player honors, as well as fellow former senior Sean Lonergan will be on hand for the banner raising and ring presentation.

MICHIGAN'S ALL-TIME WINS LEADER

• With 215 victories with Michigan, U-M head coach John Beilein is the Wolverines' all-time winningest coach, as he passed Johnny Orr (209) in the opening game of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament -- Illinois (75-55, March 9, 2017) -- for the top spot.
• With 98 wins in Big Ten play, Beilein needs just two to become the second U-M coach to reach 100 in a career. He is tied with Bill Frieder (98) for the second spot on Michigan all-time conference wins list. Johnny Orr (120) is the all-time leader.

WHAT'S AHEAD?

• Michigan will host Central Michigan Monday (Nov. 13) at Crisler Center. The matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip on BTN. U-M will make it three games in six days to open the season with a Thursday (Nov. 16) home tilt with Southern Mississippi. Tip is schedule for 7 p.m. with it part of the BTN Plus Student U package online.
• After a fast and furious start to the season, the Wolverines will leave early Friday morning (Nov. 17) for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 20-22, at the Lahaina Civic Center on Maui. It will be U-M's third trip to the Hawai'i tournament hosted by DIII Chaminade.