Michigan
Pittsburgh
Howard, Bufkin Lead Michigan Rout of Pittsburgh in Legends Classic Opener
11/16/2022 8:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- With 17 points from Jett Howard and a career-high 14 points from Kobe Bufkin, the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated Pittsburgh 91-60, on Wednesday (Nov. 16) at Barclays Center.
SUMMARY: After leading by six points at halftime, the Wolverines dominated from the start of the second half, shooting 72 percent (18-for-25) from the field and 77.8 percent (7-for-9) from beyond the arc after the break to give Michigan its third straight win to open the season.
FIRST HALF: The Wolverines (3-0) fell behind early as Pittsburgh (1-2) made three of its first four three-point attempts, but Michigan remained close thanks to early scoring from Hunter Dickinson and Bufkin. The Maize and Blue took its first lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half on a layup from Dickinson. The Wolverine freshmen took over the offense midway through the half, as Dug McDaniel, Howard and Tarris Reed Jr. combined for 10 straight Michigan points to push the lead to five. A three from Joey Baker sparked a 6-0 run that put the U-M on top 38-28 with three minutes to play in the half. Despite missing their last six field goal attempts, the Wolverines held a 38-32 lead at the break.
SECOND HALF: A four-point play by Howard opened the scoring for Michigan in the second half. Five points from Terrance Williams II sparked a 7-0 run that expanded the Wolverines' lead to 13 points with 15 minutes to play. U-M's offense continued to dominate, as and-ones from Bufkin and Dickinson followed by a three from Baker quickly put Michigan up by 19 points. Michigan outscored Pittsburgh 31-14 in the first 10 minutes of the second half to lead 69-46. Michigan stayed hot down the stretch, expanding its lead to 32 at one point and eventually finished with the 31-point victory.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wolverines will take on Arizona State on Thursday (Nov. 17) at 9:30 p.m. in the championship game of the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Notes
• With seven rebounds, Hunter Dickinson became the 46th Wolverine to reach 500+ rebounds in a career. After reaching 1,000 points in the season-opener against Purdue Fort Wayne, Dickinson is now the 31st member of U-M's 1000/500 club.
• Dickinson had a season-best five assists, and collected them all in the first five minutes of the game. It is his ninth career game with 4+ assists.
• With a career-best 14 points, Kobe Bufkin reached double figures for the first time this season and third of his career. He drained his first three-pointer of the season; he had eight total all last season. It was his first long-range bucket since March 6, 2022 at Ohio State.
• Bufkin had a career high four assists, topping the three he had in the season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Despite second-half foul trouble, Jett Howard reached double figures with 10 first-half points and led U-M with a team-best 17. Early in the second half, he converted the Wolverines first four-point play of the season.
• Dug McDaniel has had 13 assists in his last two games. He had eight against Pitt and five versus Eastern Michigan.
• Michigan shot a season-best 58.3 percent from the floor. With nine three-point field goals, the Wolverines have had five or more in each game this season.
• Michigan is 13-6 all-time against Pittsburgh. Tonight's game was the first in 10 years.
• Michigan is 4-2 all-time in the Barclays Center
