Wolverines to Battle Chattanooga in Blue Friday Tilt at Crisler

Friday, November 23

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

Chattanooga

Ignas Brazdeikis and Jon Teske

Wolverines to Battle Chattanooga in Blue Friday Tilt at Crisler

11/21/2018 10:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» After three road games last week, Michigan returns to Crisler Center to take on Chattanooga on Friday (Nov. 23) in the Wolverines' lone game of the week.
» The Wolverines will close 2018 playing eight of their next nine games at Crisler Center.
» U-M moved into the nation's top 10 -- No. 9 by AP and No. 8 in coaches poll -- after winning three road games last week starting at No. 8 Villanova and closing with a pair of wins against George Washington and Providence to claim the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off.
» Zavier Simpson averaged 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists last week, as he posted his first career double-double against George Washington (14 points, 11 rebounds).
» Charles Matthews (15.8 ppg) and Ignas Brazdeikis (14.8 ppg) account for 44 percent of U-M's offense. The duo has accounted for eight of the 13 double-figure scoring games this season and three of the four 20-plus point games.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 23 vs. Chattanooga (Crisler Center), 4 p.m.

Fresh off winning the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, the ninth-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball returns home to face Chattanooga in a Blue Friday (Nov. 23) tilt at Crisler Center in its only game of the week. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., with the game broadcast on BTN.

A Little Bit About Chattanooga

• Chattanooga comes to Ann Arbor with a 2-4 record after falling to Jacksonville last time out (Nov. 18), 74-66. Three players are scoring in double figures for the Mocs, led by 15.0 points per game from Kevin Easley. Donovann Toatley adds 10.5 points per game while Thomas Smallwood chips in 10.2 points per contest.
• The Mocs have just two returning letterwinners from last season, David Jean-Baptiste and Duane Moss. Jean-Baptiste averaged 6.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and spent the summer with the Haitian National Team.
• Chattanooga was picked to finish seventh in the Southern Conference coaches preseason poll and sixth in the league's preseason media poll.
• Lamont Paris is in his second season as the head coach at Chattanooga. Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin for seven seasons prior to joining the Mocs.
• Michigan leads the all-time series with Chattanooga, 4-0. This will be the first meeting between the Wolverines and Mocs since Dec. 4, 1999, a 72-61 U-M victory in Crisler Center.

Five Games in for U-M ...

• Michigan is 5-0 early and ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press and No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
• U-M is one of seven Big Ten teams among the nation's top 25, joining Michigan State (#11/11), Iowa (#20/22), Ohio State (#23/23), Purdue (#24/19), Wisconsin (#25/NR, 26th) and Nebraska (#NR, 26th/24). Indiana (#27/29) and Maryland (#28/28) are just outside the top 25.
• U-M has opened its season winning all four games which were part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Facing Springfield bracket foes in Ann Arbor, Michigan defeated Norfolk State (63-44) and Holy Cross (56-37) at Crisler Center, before heading to the Mohegan Sun Arena to face members of the Naismith bracket. After an 84-61 win over George Washington in the semifinal, the Wolverines claimed the title with a 66-47 victory over Providence.
• U-M's only other game this season was a 73-46 road win at No. 8 Villanova in a rematch of the 2018 national title game.
• After cold shooting games to start the season, shooting just 36.4 percent as a team in the first two games, the Wolverines found their groove on the road last week, combining to shoot 48.5 percent from the field. With the improvement, U-M is now shooting 43.7 percent on the season.
• After tallying just 40 total field goals in the first two games, the Maize and Blue doubled it with 82 total in the three road games last week.
• So far through five games, U-M is averaging 40.4 per game, more than 6.4 than its opponents (34.0).
• Michigan had a season-best 52 rebounds in the season opener against Norfolk State. The last time U-M did that? It was against Norfolk State nearly 10 years ago -- 53 on Nov. 25, 2008.
• After making just 14 three-pointers in its first three games, U-M exploded for a season-high 15 against George Washington. For the season, the Wolverines are shooting 31.8 percent from deep.
• So far in five games, U-M has forced its opponents into 14.6 turnovers per game. In fact, Villanova had more turnovers (21) than field goals (14). Holy Cross had 16 field goals and 16 turnovers as well.

Stats & Numbers

• Michigan is led by Charles Matthews (15.8 ppg) and Ignas Brazdeikis (14.8 ppg). The duo combines for 44 percent of U-M's offense. Matthews has scored in double figures in four games with two 20-plus point games, including a season-best 25 against George Washington. Brazdeikis has four double-digit games himself with a career-best 20 against Providence.
• Brazdeikis has produced more than a quarter of U-M's free throw attempts on the season. He has 29, while the Wolverines have 100 total on the season. He is shooting 79.3 percent to lead the Maize and Blue.
• Zavier Simpson has posted five or more assists in each game this season. Overall he has 34 assists (6.8 apg), which is 20th in the nation. At Mohegan Sun, Simpson posted back-to-back games of a season-high eight assists. What is even better is he has just eight turnovers and a +4.3 assist-to-turnover ratio, which puts him 36th in the nation.
• After grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds for his first career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds), Simpson is tied for the team lead for rebounding with Isaiah Livers at 6.0 per game. Simpson has four or more rebounds in every game this season.
• Speaking of rebounding, Livers has come off the bench to average 6.0 per game. He posted a career best and his first double-digit board game of 10 against Holy Cross. He adds 8.6 points per game and leads U-M with nine 3-pointers.
• With 11 blocks (2.2 bpg) already, Jon Teske has posted a third of his career total of his first two seasons (33) -- as a freshman he had seven and last season he posted 26.
• Teske scored a career-best 17, including the first three-pointer of his career, in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off title game against Providence.
• After scoring just 13 points (4.3 ppg) in the first three games of the season, Jordan Poole nearly doubled that with a career-best 22 points vs. George Washington. En route to that 22-point effort, he tied a career high with five three-pointers.

Maize Out is Coming

• U-M's upcoming game against North Carolina (Wednesday, Nov. 28) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is going to be a "Maize Out" at Crisler Center. All U-M fans are asked to wear maize-colored clothing for the late-night matchup with the Tar Heels. #GoBlue #WearMaize

Up Next

Wednesday, Nov. 28 -- vs. North Carolina (Crisler Center), 9:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN)