DETROIT – Michigan men’s basketball hit the court for the first time this season on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena as it came out on top against Oakland 92-48. The exhibition was held to benefit Forgotten Harvest. 

New Era Begins

Head coach Dusty May got his first win in the maize and blue, although it won’t count in any record books. It marked the first opportunity to see transfer players Vladislav Goldin, Tre Donaldson and more. 

Wolverine fans didn’t have to wait long either, as the first points of the game were scored by Goldin on a lob from Donaldson. Goldin is a seven-foot center hailing from Russia, and he came to Michigan from FAU with May. Michigan got another seven-footer in the transfer portal in Danny Wolf (Yale). Some wondered how the two big men would mesh, but May was happy with what he saw. 

“I thought they looked great together,” May said of Goldin and Wolf. “They played very, very well. Obviously there’s going to be nights where there’s going to be some matchup issues or some things like that. I can’t imagine that anyone watched those (guys) – there’s probably 20 or 18 minutes combined that they played – (and thought) they didn’t have good chemistry together.”

Forward Sam Walters and guard Roddy Gayle Jr were important pieces of the offense as well.

Young Players Showed Promise

In an exhibition game, it’s usually a situation in which young players get more playing time to get a sense of how they’re progressing. Many of the underclassmen got a chance to see the floor on Sunday, and freshman LJ Cason made his mark on the defensive side of the ball. 

Cason attacked ball handlers with intensity throughout his 13 minutes of playing time and came away with two steals and five rebounds to go with eight points. Cason also had five personal fouls, which would have put him on the bench in a non-exhibition matchup. May said he wasn’t surprised by the freshman’s performance. 

“You hope what you see in practice transfers to the game, and it did,” May said. “I thought he guarded the ball (well). His ability to get loose basketballs – he has a knack.”

Still Some Things to Clean Up

Senior forward Will Tschetter led his team with 15 points, and the Wolverines had four other players in double figures. Michigan shot 50% from the field and 43% from three point range, but it struggled at the free throw line with a mark of 50%. May said he’s more focused on what the Wolverines didn’t do well – protect the ball.

“We’ve shot it very well in practice, and we have guys that shot it well at their last schools,” May said. “You never know how freshmen are going to shoot it in games – I was impressed with LJ Cason’s aggressiveness. So no, the shooting wasn’t a surprise. For us to turn it over 14 times tonight is probably too many. We got loose and careless (during) a few possessions, but I thought even most of those would have led to dunks or layups.” 

Michigan Stats That Stood Out:

F Will Tschetter – 15 points

F Danny Wolf – 13 Rebounds

G Tre Donaldson – 6 Assists 

9 steals as a team

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