CBB: Michigan fights off Buffalo 88-76 in home opener

Michigan fought off Buffalo 88-76 in the season opener on Wednesday night at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines with 27 points and six rebounds, while Jeenathan Williams went off for a game-high 32 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Juwan Howard’s team looked like a national championship contender for part of the win against Buffalo but there is still a lot of room for improvement on both ends of the floor. After leading 51-36 at halftime, the Wolverines scored just 37 points in the second half and allowed Buffalo to cut the deficit to 72-67 with six minutes remaining. Michigan consistently went to different variations of a high screen-and-roll with Eli Brooks and Dickinson late in the game.

Brooks was making the right decision more often than not and ended up with 11 points and four assists. Terrence Williams put up 15 points, seven rebounds and a few crucial jumpshots off the bench. Caleb Houstan totaled 11 points and six rebounds on 4-7 shooting from the field in his debut alongside fellow freshman Moussa Diabate, who had seven points, five rebounds, and three assists in 16 minutes. I picked Michigan to get to the Final Four and compete for a national title, and they showed flashes of that potential in the season-opening win. The Wolverines will look to improve to 2-0 against Prairie View A&M before hosting Seton Hall in a rematch of the 1989 national championship game on Tuesday.

"This is a game of runs and how they responded was perfect. This was a tough team that we faced. We knew that coming in, we prepared for it and we watched it on film. We know every possession matters when you play against Buffalo. We're a work in progress and we'll continue to work on how we can improve with different lineups that we throw at our opponents," Howard said in the postgame press conference following the victory. "It was great to have our crowd back in the building and see some familiar faces, as well as our families. Our players getting a chance to see their mom and dad, and relatives. It brings a lot of joy and excitement. Now our guys feeding off that energy is beautiful."

Photo Credit: Wolverines Wire.