Wolverines to Close Opening Week Hosting Youngstown State
11/9/2023 3:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team will close out its first week of the season by hosting last year's Horizon League regular-season champion Youngstown State on Friday (Nov. 10) at Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the broadcast available on the Big Ten Network. Matt Shepard and Dane Fife are the scheduled broadcast team.
Notes
• After winning the Horizon League regular-season title a year ago, Youngstown State comes to Ann Arbor with nine newcomers -- seven transfers and two freshmen. The Penguins' transfer class includes: Merrimack transfer Ziggy Reid (14.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2023 Northeast Conference Tournament MVP), Tennessee Tech transfer Brett Thompson (12.3 PPG, 3.1 APG) and Toledo transfer EJ Farmer (6.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG).
• Youngstown State fell to Louisiana, 72-62, in its season opener on Monday. After opening with a 20-8 start, the Penguins allowed the Ragin' Cajuns to outscore them, 27-11, over the remainder of the half. After trading leads throughout the second half, Louisiana pulled away with a key 10-0 run which put them ahead for good. YSU was 2-of-23 from long distance, including going 0-for-10 in the second half. The Penguins also committed 17 turnovers.
• Fifth-year senior guard Brandon Rush scored a team-high 14 points against Louisiana. He has scored at least eight points in 18 consecutive games. After transferring from Fairleigh Dickinson a year ago, Rush was named All-Horizon League third team after averaging 13.9 PPG, while shooting 47.8 percent (173-of-362) from the floor and 37.9 percent (77-of-203) from long range. Rush is just four triples away from 200 in his collegiate career.
• The Penguins posted a 24-10 mark a season ago, tying the program record for season wins. Winning the regular season with a record-setting 15-5 mark, YSU fell to Northern Kentucky in the semifinal of the Horizon Tournament. Earning a bid to the NIT, YSU lost to Oklahoma State in the first round.
• The Penguins are 0-26 in program history against the current members of the Big Ten. YSU's game with Michigan is its first matchup against a Big Ten opponent since the Penguins dropped a 75-59 decision at Penn State on Nov. 23, 2021. Each of its last nine matchups against teams from the Big Ten have been decided by double-digits.
• Meanwhile, this will be Michigan's first game against a Horizon League opponent since a 19-point season-opening win (75-56) against Fort Wayne last year. U-M is 54-5 all-time against the current members of the Horizon League, with the last loss coming in a 97-90 season-opening loss at Oakland (Nov. 17, 2000). U-M has not lost at the Crisler Center to a current Horizon League member since dropping a 55-51 decision to Detroit Mercy (Dec. 19, 1981).
• Michigan, who is 5-0 all-time, last played Youngstown State on Dec. 19, 2015 -- a 105-46 victory. The 59-point win was the largest margin of victory for U-M in a game played at the Crisler Center all-time. Highlighting the game was Derrick Walton Jr., who posted the fifth triple-double in program history (10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists).
• Michigan had four players that scored in double digits against UNC Asheville, led by Olivier Nkamhoua, who had a game-high 25 points, along with seven rebounds and three assists. It marked the most points scored by any player in his Michigan debut this century. It was the eighth time in his career that he had surpassed 20-plus points. In the second half, he went on an eight-point spurt -- featuring three dunks and a jumper -- to give the Wolverines a 29-point cushion. Five of his 11 made field goals for the game came on dunks.
• Dug McDaniel posted a career-high 22 points, along with eight assists, in a team-high 31 minutes of action against UNC Asheville. He had a team-high 12 points and six assists in the first half alone. He added a team-best four three-pointers. Helping Michigan push the tempo and creating some open downhill looks at the basket, he finished a team-best +28 on the night.
