No. 7 Michigan routs Oakland in record-setting season opener

Ann Arbor — The Wolverines hung a banner after which hung over 100 factors in a record-setting efficiency in Monday’s season opener at Crisler Center.

After commemorating its 2025 Big Ten match championship throughout a pregame ceremony, No. 7 Michigan set a program document for factors scored within the first half, tied a program document for made 3-pointers and scored its most factors ever in its first regular-season recreation in a 121-78 demolition of Oakland.

Morez Johnson Jr. tallied a career-high 24 factors — and tied his earlier excessive of 20 factors within the first half alone — to guide seven double-digit scorers for Michigan, which shot 64.3% from the sector (45-for-70), made 19 deep balls and placed on an offensive clinic.

“You come out first game of the year, you want to play really well, and I thought we just we played for each other,” Michigan coach Dusty May stated.

“I was extremely worried about this game. I know Oakland gives teams problems every year with their zone (defense). … I didn’t expect us to be this cohesive whatsoever.”

The Wolverines moved the ball and made pictures at a excessive stage from begin to end. They shot a scorching 71.1% (27-for-38) within the first half and used a 20-0 run to construct a 31-point halftime that the Golden Grizzles by no means got here near climbing out of.

BOX SCORE: Michigan 121, Oakland 78

Despite the large margin, Michigan stored its foot off the gasoline within the second half and by no means missed greater than two pictures in a row all recreation lengthy because it continued to overwhelm Oakland on each ends of the ground.

Freshman Trey McKenney (21 factors) began a 17-2 spurt with a 3-pointer and ended it with an and-1 layup that got here when the lights briefly went out inside Crisler Center. Aday Mara (12 factors, 12 rebounds) had three of his 5 blocked pictures come within the span of 4 possessions. Michigan hit the century mark, 100-57, with 9:31 to play.

Michigan took its largest lead, 106-60, with 7:47 remaining when McKenney drained his fourth of six 3-pointers. McKenney’s last deep ball, with 1:51 to go, tied the single-game program document of 19 3s that was first set towards Central Arkansas on Dec. 13, 2016, and was matched final season towards Western Kentucky on Dec. 29, 2024.

When the ultimate horn sounded, Michigan’s 121 factors topped the earlier season-opening excessive of 115 factors recorded towards Bradley on Nov. 21, 1986. It additionally marked the primary time since 1990 the Wolverines scored greater than 120 factors in a recreation.

More: Wojo: Michigan basketball’s huge potential on show in opener

“It was a ton of fun. Everybody contributing and everyone playing unselfishly, it’s great,” stated Will Tschetter, who scored 16 and made 4 3-pointers.

“Coming into the (second) half we had a team goal to try to hold them under 60 and we didn’t come close to that. I don’t think on the defensive side we’re happy, but offensively, our execution, we’re happy with how we played.”

Nimari Burnett scored 14 and made 4 3s and Roddy Gayle Jr. added 11 factors. Yaxel Lendeborg, who had his proper capturing hand/wrist taped, was a late scratch from the beginning lineup and chipped in 12 of Michigan’s 55 factors off the bench.

Elliot Cadeau had 12 of the workforce’s 29 assists, probably the most in a recreation since May took over final season. In whole, six Wolverines dished out a number of dimes.

“I like our passing ability. We have such a great passing team as a whole and we’re not going to take that for granted,” May stated. “It’s one thing to have guys who are capable of passing, and we have guys who are extremely adept at passing, but they also enjoy it and take pride in it. I thought there were a few times when we turned down pretty good looks because we were too eager to pass it. But I’ll take that any day and twice on Sunday.”

Isaac Garrett scored 20 and Buru Naivalurua, the Horizon League’s preseason participant of the yr, added 18 for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies have been outscored 46-26 within the paint, outrebounded by a 40-22 margin and trailed by 20-plus factors over the ultimate 25 minutes.

The 121 factors have been the third most Oakland has ever allowed and probably the most because the program made the transition to Division 1 in 1999.

“That was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen a team play in early November,” stated Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who’s in his forty second season. “For early November, I was pretty amazed. Their flow was great.

“Their size, athleticism and then they made 19 3s. When you can play inside out like that, you’re going to beat a lot of people.”

In a matchup between two groups picked to complete second of their respective convention’s preseason polls, Michigan had little hassle discovering a rhythm towards Oakland’s zone and made its first seven pictures throughout a blistering 13-for-16 begin from the sector.

Mara and Johnson took benefit of their measurement and feasted across the rim. Mara threw down a pair of dunks off lob feeds from Cadeau on Michigan’s first two possessions. Johnson made performs when he obtained the ball in the midst of Oakland’s zone, from ending a driving layup off a spin transfer to discovering Mara for one more simple bucket beneath.

“We talked a lot about staying fundamentally sound, make the right pass, take our time and just make singles,” Tschetter stated. “If you hit singles the whole game, you’ll be just fine.”

The Golden Grizzlies had no reply for Johnson, and he terrorized them on each ends throughout a 20-0 flurry over a four-minute span that turned a four-point Michigan lead right into a 24-point cushion.

Johnson cleared out house and moved a defender below the rim for an uncontested dunk. He blocked a shot within the paint on one finish that led to a pair of Tschetter free throws off a fast-break alternative. He emphatically swatted a 3-pointer to drive a shot clock violation.

By the time Johnson threw down a dunk to cap the massive run, he scored 10 factors within the span of three minutes and Michigan took a commanding 34-10 lead with 11:57 left within the first half.

Oakland may solely minimize the deficit to 18 earlier than Michigan made its last eight pictures of the half and made program historical past within the course of. A brief hook shot by Mara on the 1:05 mark broke earlier first-half document of 66 factors set towards Eastern Michigan on Dec. 12, 1987. Johnson added one other layup within the last minute for good measure.

The Wolverines took a 69-38 lead into the break and have been effectively on their strategy to a powerful opening act in what they hope can be one other banner marketing campaign.

“I do think our players gave (the fans) something to cheer for,” May stated. “It was a very unselfish effort by us. We looked connected. We looked determined to fix some things and thought we did some really nice things with a long way to go for us to be as good as we can possibly be.”

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jamesbhawkins