Wolverines to Head to Lone Star State for Tussle With TCU – University of Michigan Athletics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The sixth-ranked University of Michigan men’s basketball team (2-0) heads to the Lone Star State for a Friday night matchup at TCU (2-1) in Fort Worth, Texas. The Wolverines and Horned Frogs complete their home-and-home series after U-M earned a 76-64 victory last season in Ann Arbor. Tipoff from Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Notes
• Michigan closes the week with a second straight road game — and a second straight return game. The Wolverines opened the week with a dramatic 85-83 overtime win against Wake Forest at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. That matchup completed the home-and-home series after Wake Forest earned a 72-70 win last season in Greensboro. Now, U-M wraps up another home-and-home, traveling to face TCU.
• TCU is 2-1 after a narrow 78-74 loss to New Orleans in its opener, when the Frogs fell behind big early before a late rally fell short. They responded with a 104-63 blowout of Saint Francis, shooting 52 percent and winning on the glass 48-22. Most recently, TCU beat Lamar 78-65, jumping out to a 13-2 start before holding off a second-half push and pulling away late.
• TCU plays 12 of its first 15 games at home. Through three games, TCU is averaging 85.3 points per game, shooting 49 percent from the field and owning a +13.3-rebounding margin.
• Last season, Michigan handed previously unbeaten TCU a 76-64 loss at Crisler Center. The Wolverines had four double-digit scorers, led by Nimari Burnett‘s 16 points and six rebounds, while Danny Wolf posted a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double. After overcoming early turnovers and taking a 34-31 halftime lead, U-M used a late 10-2 surge to put the game away. Michigan shot 50 percent from the field and held TCU to 34 percent and 5-for-19 from three, with eight Wolverines scoring and the starters accounting for 60 of the 76 points.
• Elliot Cadeau has opened his Michigan career with 14 assists in his debut and seven more vs. Wake Forest. He has posted five-plus assists in 23 of his last 30 games and tallied seven of his eight career 10-assist games during that span. Through two games, he has already assisted 12 Wolverine scorers.
• Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. have opened the season shooting a combined 28-for-39 (71.8 percent). They’ve produced four double-figure rebounding games and fueled a +12-rebounding margin while combining for 13 of Michigan’s 15 blocks. With both on the floor, U-M has dominated the paint, outscoring opponents 66-28.
• Mara has opened the season with back-to-back double-doubles and back-to-back five-block games, matching his career high in both contests. His 25 rebounds are the most by a Wolverine in the first two games of a season since Moritz Wagner grabbed 23 to start 2017-18 (12 vs. North Florida; 11 vs. Central Michigan). Mara has scored or assisted on 42 Michigan points through two games, accounting for nearly 25 percent of U-M’s total offense.
• Yaxel Lendeborg is just one rebound shy of 800 for his Division I career.
• Cadeau is expected to appear in his 77th consecutive game; he has not missed a contest in three seasons between North Carolina and Michigan. Burnett is slated to make his 71st straight start for Michigan, having not missed a start in his three seasons in Ann Arbor.
