Dusty May stacked the Michigan non-conference schedule this season. The first game against Power Five competition comes against Wake Forest on Sunday in a not-so-neutral site clash:
What an introduction. For Dusty May and his army of transfers, there was no better way to commence the new era of Michigan Wolverines basketball, demolishing Cleveland State in the most fun way possible. It was not a flawless performance, but it almost felt that way given the slog of the past couple years, as May had his troops sprinting up and down the court and scoring with ease.
With all due respect to Cleveland State, the schedule is about to ramp up sharply. Michigan travels to North Carolina to face a quality Wake Forest Demon Deacons team that is already 2-0 this year. Wake enters the season with NCAA Tournament aspirations and sits 63rd in early Kenpom rankings. A win on Sunday, even at a “neutral” site, would be a strong early resume contribution and an even bigger symbolic accomplishment for this overhauled program.
Michigan Wolverines (1-0) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0)
Date & Time: Sunday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. ET
Location: First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
The Deacs have fallen just short of the tournament in two of the past three years, landing in the NIT. Steve Forbes has done a good job revamping this program, utilizing the portal to bring in transfers like Preseason All-ACC Team First Teamer Hunter Salas and big man Efton Reid (remember him?) from Gonzaga last season. Wake also returns senior Cameron Hildreth, who leads the team in scoring after the first two games, and is a relatively veteran bunch.
It is hard to make too many assumptions after just one week of play, but it does stand out that Michigan crushed its overmatched opener, while Wake has been not quite dominant against much worse competition. Yes, both games ended in double-digit wins, but neither victory was anything spectacular, especially against a team like Coppin State that has an argument for being the worst in the entire country. It might not have any bearing on this weekend, but just something to note.
One Big Question: Will anyone be the main character?
So many Wolverines had a great debut against Cleveland State, with none bigger than Danny Wolf’s stat sheet-stuffing performance. Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle, L.J. Cason, and Sam Walters hit double-figures as well, and May’s system put them all in a position to succeed. I am very curious to see what Game 2 looks like, especially against a defense that should match up much better athletically. There are going to be stretches of struggle, and how this team responds will be telling.
North Carolina A&T took 35 threes against the Deacs on Thursday, and that could be a repeated theme with Michigan heading to the Tar Heel State. May preaches smart shot selection, and in the opener his team was either driving the lane or kicking it out behind the arc, optimizing the offense. I think this is a game where some wings might stand out, especially with Reid guarding the paint. The beauty of this system is that any player could be the star on a given night, though we will have to see if a couple players start emerging as the focal point.
One Thing to Watch: Sprinters sprint
Watching Michigan on Monday was a complete shock after teams of recent past, as the average possession lasted just 12.8 seconds. This will obviously not hold (last year’s fastest team was Kennesaw State at 14.1 sec; Michigan ranked 222nd), but Sunday could be another track meet as Wake has also played relatively quickly to start the year. This was not the norm for Forbes’ group last season, but against the Wolverines they probably will not have a chance to slow down.
Aside from being objectively more fun to watch, the advantages to this tempo are clear. Michigan found — or created — plenty of good looks for itself by running out on both misses and makes, taking the easy looks against an unset defense. This did lead to a few too many turnovers, but 1) it is worth the tradeoff if it means shooting stays hyper-efficient, and 2) some of this sloppiness will fade as chemistry and familiarity builds throughout the season.
This approach has an impact on the other end too. The defense forced 16 turnovers itself in the opener, and Wake has started the year with a below-average 20.4-percent turnover rate, so expect the Wolverines to stay active and aggressive. This did result in Cleveland State grabbing a bunch of offensive rebounds, but the Deacs have not been a team to thrive on the offensive class. Reid and friends will probably snag a few, but as long as the turnovers and corresponding fast breaks remain, May will be just fine taking this risk.