The 1-seed Michigan Wolverines beat the 16-seed Howard Bison, 101-80, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in Buffalo, New York. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, but Michigan moved on with a second half surge, earning a date with either Georgia or Saint Louis in the Round of 32 on Saturday.
Here are six takeaways from the game.
Three-point shooting sets a fast game pace
From the opening tip, both teams came out firing from deep, turning the first half into a perimeter showcase. Michigan combined to go 7-for-13
from beyond the arc, with Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Trey McKenney all connecting early to help the Wolverines build and sustain their lead.
But Howard more than matched that energy. Cam Gillus was a one-man highlight reel, knocking down three straight threes on 4-for-4 shooting for 13 first-half points. Cedric Taylor III added three triples of his own for 14 points, while Bryce Harris chipped in with two first half threes for 12 total points. The Bison finished the half shooting 10-for-16 from three – tying their total against UMBC in the First Four in half the time – keeping the margin from ever feeling safe despite Michigan’s size and depth advantages.
The second half displayed a very different pace. The Wolverines elected to play their brand of basketball inside, flexing its size and strength, and the Bison struggled to convert at the same clip as the first half, leading to a lopsided result. Howard shot just 4-for-13 from deep in the second half, compared to Michigan’s 20 points in the paint, leading to a blowout win for the Wolverines.
Michigan’s bench provides crucial first half spark
With Howard keeping it close throughout the entire first half, the Wolverines’ bench stepped up in a big way to maintain the lead. Will Tschetter made an immediate impact, hitting multiple threes and adding a steal that led to a Morez Johnson Jr. dunk. Roddy Gayle Jr. was equally impressive, scoring nine first half points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a triple. And Trey McKenney looked his usual self, adding seven first half points on 3-for-4 from the field. The Wolverines had 22 bench points in the first half, giving Michigan a comfortable cushion even as Howard kept the game closer than expected.
Morez Johnson Jr.’s dominant second half
Morez Johnson Jr. was virtually unstoppable in the second half, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field for 17 second half points to go along with 4 rebounds, a steal and strong free throw shooting. After converting an and-one finish to push the lead to five early in the second half, he followed it up with an alley-oop layup off a Howard turnover, a three-pointer and an emphatic dunk — all part of a stretch where he scored 10 points in just four minutes. His relentless interior presence was the engine behind Michigan’s 12-1 run that pushed the lead out to 18 in the second half.
Johnson finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 100 percent shooting, proving once again that the Wolverines can have a different leading scorer on any given night.
Aday Mara’s impact on both ends
Michigan center Aday Mara set the tone from the opening tip, converting a lob to start the game and following it up with multiple blocks – including a rejection on a three-point attempt. However, he went quiet for most of the opening half as Michigan tried to match Howard’s stellar three-point shooting.
However, with a comfortable second half cushion, the Wolverines went down low to the 7-foot-3 big man, who all but single-handedly put the game away. Mara stepped through contact for a powerful dunk, forcing a fourth foul on Howard’s Cedric Taylor III in the process – effectively neutralizing Howard’s leading scorer for the remainder of the game. He then caught an alley-oop dunk from Yaxel Lendeborg before following it up with a few more dunks to push Michigan’s lead to 26 at the 5:52 mark of the second half. And when he wasn’t scoring, he was altering Howard’s offense on the other end – adding another block to his already impressive three block tally for the game – and dishing it to his teammates, throwing touchdown passes to McKenney and back-doors to Gayle.
Mara finished the game with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 80 percent from the floor.
For a player who was relatively quiet in the first half, Mara’s second half was a reminder of just how unguardable he can be when Michigan makes a concerted effort to feed him in the post, and how critical he will be to the Wolverines’ Tournament hopes going forward.
Michigan’s perimeter defense still a major concern
For all the offensive fireworks, the Wolverines’ perimeter defense left plenty to be desired. Howard – a team that entered shooting just 34.5 percent from three on the season – found open looks consistently and made Michigan pay. The Bison scored 46 points in the first half, the third most points Michigan has given up in a half all season, trailing just Maryland and Nebraska’s 50 first half points in December and January, respectively.
The Wolverines turned it around in a major way in the second half, limiting Howard to 4-for-13 from deep. We have seen this script time and again this season — Maryland in December, Nebraska in January and Purdue and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. The three-ball continues to loom as Michigan’s kryptonite, and it will need to display 40 strong minutes of perimeter defense to feel comfortable the rest of the way.
Michigan reaches ninth 100+ point game this season
There are no ‘easy’ wins in March, but facing a 16-seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is as close to easy as you can get.
The Wolverines may have struggled in the first half, but they came alive in the second, going with inside looks instead of trying to match Howard’s threes. Michigan will have the size advantage in every matchup the rest of the way, and Thursday showed that when it goes to its strength, it does not have to bother with what the other team is doing. The Wolverines will only face stronger teams as they advance in the Tournament, meaning getting back to their bread and butter is no-longer optional.
