No. 7 Michigan already recorded history this season, and the Wolverines haven’t even played their second game.
That will come Tuesday night when Wake Forest is the opponent for a neutral-site game in Detroit.
Michigan won 121-78 in its first game against Oakland, with a program-record seven players reaching double-digit point totals. The Wolverines scored their most points since a March 1990 game versus Iowa, while their 19 baskets on 3-point shots matched a team record.
“(We’re) a long way to go to be as good as we possibly could be,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “I thought there were a few times that we turned down good looks because we were too eager to pass it, but I’ll take any day.”
Wake Forest (2-0) received a career-best 29 points from sophomore guard Juke Harris in Friday night’s 81-65 victory against visiting Morehead State. Harris had 11 points in a reserve role last November in a matchup with Michigan.
The Demon Deacons didn’t receive a full endorsement from coach Steve Forbes, who knows heading away from the home against a nationally ranked opponent will bring a bigger challenge.
“We did have some guys who didn’t play well and didn’t show up,” Forbes said. “We need those guys to do better. I said that after the game that we are 2-0, and we’ll take that. We got some things to work on before we play a big game on Tuesday in Detroit against Michigan.”
Michigan will have more to prove even after its impressive opener.
“Every game has its own life and history to itself,” May said. “We could come out the next game and miss all those shots. We’re just trying to get to the point when the shots are going in. We’re able to separate and the nights the shots aren’t going in we’re still tough enough defensively, we’re still gritty enough on the glass to find a way to win.”
For Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau, seeing Wake Forest on the other side will be a matchup against a familiar opponent. Before he transferred from North Carolina after last season, he encountered the Demon Deacons in Atlantic Coast Conference play, averaging 12 points in three outings versus Wake Forest.
Cadeau racked up 12 assists in the Oakland game.
Forward Morez Johnson Jr. poured in 24 points to pace Michigan.
“I’m just blessed to be here with this coaching staff, believing in me, letting me evolve my game,” Johnson said.
The Demon Deacons grabbed 53 rebounds in the Morehead State game, matching the highest total of boards in Forbes’ six seasons. Work on the offensive glass might have been most pleasing to Forbes.
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on that since June,” Forbes said. “It’s something we really wanted to improve on this year with our rebound path and our crash rate. We try to have a crash rate of 75 percent.”
The teams played with a similar set-up early last season, with Wake Forest winning 72-70 in what officially was a neutral-site game in Greensboro, N.C. The Demon Deacons rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit in that game.
–Field Level Media
