Wolverines, Fans to Return to Crisler Center in Season Opener vs. Buffalo

» Michigan opens the 2021-22 season ranked No. 6 in both preseason polls (AP and Coaches).
» U-M played one exhibition game, an 87-54 win at Wayne State as the Wolverines opened the Warriors' new campus fieldhouse.
» Wednesday night's game will be preceded by a banner-raising ceremony for U-M's 2021 Big Ten championship.
» For the first time since 2020, U-M welcome fans back into Crisler Center after the coronavirus pandemic did not allow for them to attend games.

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

PROMOTIONS
• Oct. 10: Banner Ceremony -- Join us pregame as we raise the 2020-21 Big Ten championship banner; 2020-21 Big Ten Champs Mini Banner giveaway (first 5,000 fans)
• Full Promotiuons Schedule

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

• Watch: Juwan Howard Press Conference (Nov. 9)

The sixth-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (0-0) opens its 2021-22 campaign hosting Mid-American Conference preseason favorite Buffalo (0-0) on Wednesday (Nov. 10) at Crisler Center. The game is scheduled for a 6:31 p.m. tip on Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call. The game will be preceded by a banner-raising ceremony for U-M's 2021 Big Ten championship.

Inside the Game

• For the first time since the end of the 2019-20 season, U-M will welcome back fans into Crisler Center after the 2020-21 season was played in an empty arena due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• In a pregame ceremony, U-M will celebrate its 2021 Big Ten championship (15th all-time) by raising a banner to the Crisler Center rafters.
• After returning for an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, Eli Brooks was named captain for the 2021-22 Wolverines -- the second straight year he has received the honor.

The Buffalo Bulls

• Wednesday's game will be the second all-time meeting between Michigan and Buffalo. The only other game was Jan. 4, 1935 -- 86 years, 10 months and six days ago -- when the Wolverines posted a 41-20 victory.
• Returning 11 players, Buffalo was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference with 11 of 12 first place votes.
• Senior forward Josh Mballa -- the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and All-MAC second team selection -- returns as a Preseason All-MAC first team selection after averaging 15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game last season.
• Fellow senior forward Jeenathan Williams is back after earning All-MAC second team honors following his leading the team with 17.6 points per game to go with 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He also was named to the Preseason All-MAC first team.
• Head Coach Jim Whitesell begins his third year at the helm of the Bulls. Last season, Whitesell's squad closed with a 16-9 record, including a 12-5 conference mark (second) and trip to the MAC Tournament title game. The season closed with the programs second ever trip to the NIT, where it lost to Colorado State in the first round.
• Since 1990 (first year at the Division I level), Buffalo has four trips to the NCAA Tournament -- 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Welcoming DJ to the Fold

• U-M welcomes Coastal Carolina graduate transfer DeVante' Jones. He is the third grad transfer for the Wolverines since Jaaron Simmons (Ohio) joined U-M in the 2017-18 season. Mike Smith (Columbia) became the second in 2020-21. Simmons, who is U-M's video analyst, helped the Wolverines win a second straight Big Ten Tournament title and advance to the 2018 Final Four and title game versus Villanova. Smith guided U-M to the 2021 Big Ten title, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East) and the program's fourth Elite Eight appearance since 2013.

What You Should Know

• Eli Brooks (graduate student) and Jaron Faulds (senior) have taken advantage of the NCAA's extra year of eligibility following the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, graduate transfer DeVante' Jones also is using the extra season with the Wolverines.
• Michigan has a trio of lefties -- sophomores Hunter Dickinson, Zeb Jackson and freshman Kobe Bufkin.
• Coined by Saddi Washington, the Wolverines big men live by a basic philosophy: BIG ("Basic is Good") -- control what you can control and do your job.

How U-M Won the 2021 Big Ten Title

• In what turned out to be a unique season with COVID-19, the Big Ten title was agreed to be determined by overall winning percentage as many schedules fluctuated due to the global pandemic.
• Needing to win one of its last two games (both against Michigan State), Michigan clinched the Big Ten title after a 69-50 win against the Spartans in their first meeting (March 4).
• The conference crown is the 15th in U-M history and was first since the Wolverines won the 2014 title by three games thanks to the play of Big Ten Player of the Year Nik Stauskas.
• The title made the Wolverines the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament for just the second time in program history (2014).

Starting the Season(s) Off Right

• Michigan opened the 2020-21 season on an 11-game winning streak and went on to win 23 games and the Big Ten championship, earning the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments and nearly advanced to a ninth Final Four.
• That 11-0 start was anchored with wins over all five non-conference opponents and six consecutive Big Ten victories, with three straight against ranked opponents by 19+ points. The Maize and Blue went from unranked to as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
• The start last year nearly mirrored the Wolverines start to Juwan Howard's first season as head coach (2019-20) -- as they started 7-0, winning the Battle 4 Atlantis with wins over No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Gonzaga -- and vaulting to No. 4 in the nation (largest jump in the poll's history) before falling at No. 1 Louisville (ACC/B1G Challenge).

Up Next

Saturday, Nov. 13 -- vs. Prairie View - Coaches vs. Racism (Washington, D.C.), 8 p.m.