Wolverines to Host Western Michigan, Education Day at Crisler Center

Saturday, December 15

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

Western Michigan

Wolverines to Host Western Michigan, Education Day at Crisler Center

12/14/2018 7:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan will host Western Michigan at Crisler Center for the first time since 2012. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 20-9.
» U-M has begun the season a perfect 10-0 for the fourth time in program history. The Wolverines remain one of the nation's nine undefeated teams.
» Michigan has a top defensive efficiency rating according to Ken Pom; U-M opponents are scoring 55.2 points per game -- third lowest in the country.
» Ignas Brazdeikis repeated as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week after averaging 20 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in wins at Northwestern and vs. South Carolina.
» Saturday's game is Education Day with tables set up on the concourse before the game for students to learn about topics such as financial literacy and STEM.

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Dec. 15 -- vs. Western Michigan (Crisler Center), 2 p.m. -- Education Day

The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team has three games remaining in its non-conference schedule. First up, the Wolverines will host Western Michigan on Saturday (Dec. 15) at Crisler Center, with a 2 p.m. tipoff. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network, with Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo on the call.

A Little Bit About Western Michigan

• Western Michigan comes to Ann Arbor with a 5-4 overall record. Like the Wolverines, the Broncos last took the court last Saturday (Dec. 8) when they won at Youngstown State, 88-77.
• Senior 7-foot center Seth Dugan leads three players scoring in double figures at 17.7 points per game, also while grabbing a team-high 10.1 rebounds per contest. Dugan is shooting 57.7 percent from the field and leads the team with 13 blocks. Senior guard Josh Davis adds 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest and sophomore guard Michael Flowers chips in 13.6 points and 3.7 assists per game. Junior guard Jared Pinty (7.6 ppg) leads WMU with 17 three-pointers.
• Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins is in his 16th season as head coach of the Broncos. Hawkins is the longest-tenured head coach in the Mid-American Conference.
• Western Michigan was picked to finish fourth in the MAC West Division. Last season, the Broncos went 17-15 and were fourth in the MAC West.
• U-M assistant coach Saddi Washington played at Western Michigan and was a two-time All-MAC honoree. As a senior in 1997-98, Washington averaged 21.6 points per game and led the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament. Washington was inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame in 2010.

The All-Time Series with The Broncos

• Michigan leads the all-time series against WMU, 20-9. U-M and Western Michigan last met in 2012, as the third-ranked Wolverines claimed a 73-41 victory at Crisler Center (Dec. 4, 2012). Prior to that game, the Maize and Blue had dropped four of the previous six matchups to the Broncos from 1997 to 2002.

Tidbits From U-M's Notebook

• Since U-M's 61-52 loss at Northwestern (Feb. 6, 2018), the Maize and Blue has won 24 of its past 25 contests, with the lone loss coming in the 2018 national championship game against Villanova. Of the 24 victories, 17 have come by double figures.
• The Wolverines add an impressive 24-1 record in their last 25 games at Crisler Center. The lone loss was a 70-69 win by #5/7 Purdue after the Boilermakers' Isaac Haas made a free throw with four seconds left.
• The Wolverines are the top-rated team in defensive efficiency team by KenPom.
• U-M is holding opponents to 55.2 points per game -- the third lowest in the country (Dec. 8). Virginia leads at 51.5 opponent points per game, and Texas Tech is second at 52.5.
• Michigan is led by a trio of double-figure scorers -- Ignas Brazdeikis (17.0 ppg), Jordan Poole (13.3) and Charles Matthews (13.2 ppg). The trio has combined for 21 of U-M's 31 double-figure scoring games and all 10 20-plus point games -- Brazdeikis (4), Matthews (3), Poole (3).
• Brazdeikis repeated as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week after he averaged 20 points and five rebounds in a pair of victories, as U-M remained undefeated to start the 2018-19 season. He shared the honor with Indiana's Romeo Langford.
• In his first five games of the season, Jordan Poole averaged 7.8 ppg. In his next five, he more than doubled that average with 18.8 ppg, scoring in double figures in all five of those games with two 20-plus point outings -- including a career-best 26 against South Carolina.
• Zavier Simpson has dished five assists or more in nine games, and leads U-M with 6.1 per game. He adds 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
• Jon Teske leads U-M in rebounding (6.8 per game) and blocks (2.2 per game).

Going Undefeated Through 10

• Michigan has started 10-0 for the fourth time in the program's 103 year history. In each of those years, the Wolverines have etched history into the record books:

1985-86 -- started 16-0, finished 28-5 and won Big Ten championship
1988-89 -- started 11-0, finished 30-7 and won the national championship
2012-13 -- started 16-0, finished 31-8 and were the national runner-up
2018-19 -- started 10-0, ???

2018 … Proving To Be A Great Year

• Michigan is 31-5 in the 2018 calendar year.
• In 2018, U-M repeated as Big Ten Tournament champions, winning four games in four days for a second straight year -- and advanced to its second Final Four and national title game in the last six years.
• In the stretch of 36 games, U-M had a 14-game win streak before losing to Villanova in the national championship game and is on a 10-game win streak to start the 2018-19 season.
• Over the win streak, the Maize and Blue has defeated eight nationally-ranked teams -- with five of those among the top 10, including two over rival Michigan State.
• In 2018, U-M is 18-4 in road/neutral-site games and 13-1 in home games.
• Among the five losses, three are true road games, three are against top-five opponents, one was a one-point home loss and one was in the national title game.
• Here is the list of Michigan's losses in the 2018 calendar year: #5/7 Purdue (L, 70-69; Jan. 9), at Nebraska (L, 72-52; Jan. 18), at #3/3 Purdue (L, 92-88; Jan. 25), at Northwestern (L, 61-52; Feb. 6) and vs. #2/2 Villanova (L, 79-62; April 2), Northwestern (L, 61-52; Feb. 6) and vs. #2/2 Villanova (L. 79-62; April 2).