No. 16 Michigan didn’t get the kind of start it expected inside, at least not on paper. Junior center Moustapha Thiam was out with illness, and with the Wolverines already carrying questions about their paint production, that looked like a setup for more of the same.
Instead, Michigan’s frontcourt delivered early and often, and that was enough to carry the Wolverines to an 84-68 win over Oakland in their season opener.
Graduate forward J.P. Estrella set the tone from the jump while filling Thiam’s usual role at the five.
He was active around the rim right away, following a missed 3-pointer from senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. with an offensive rebound and putback. Estrella kept crashing the glass from there, finishing the first half with four offensive rebounds.
That early work helped Michigan build a 10-5 lead, but Oakland answered quickly. When the Wolverines went to their bench-heavy looks, the Bears found openings on the perimeter and put together a 13-3 run to move ahead 18-13.
Michigan settled back in after a couple of timeouts and picked up the pace. Junior guard Elliot Cadeau forced a steal near the bottom of the perimeter and turned it into a fast-break layup, and a minute later the Wolverines were back in front when Goodman drove to the rim for an easy basket.
From there, the first half became a back-and-forth stretch, but Michigan kept control. The Wolverines didn’t get much going from deep, yet they were physical all over the floor, outrebounding Oakland 19-14 and scoring 32 of their 47 first-half points in the paint. Gayle punctuated the half with an alley-oop dunk to send Michigan into the break up 47-36.
The second half brought a different feel. Michigan’s edge inside started to come with sloppier execution, and the fouls piled up fast - 10 in the first 10 minutes. Estrella picked up his fourth and headed to the bench.
Oakland took advantage of that shift by leaning into the physical side of the game. The Bears controlled the boards, kept Michigan to one shot possessions and turned Wolverines mistakes into easy points at the rim and at the line. With a little more than eight minutes left, Oakland had trimmed the margin to 62-55.
Michigan still had one more push left. Gayle took over late, getting downhill, drawing fouls and finding room for quick jumpers. The lead grew again, and sophomore guard Trey McKenney finished things off with a 3-pointer to seal the 84-68 result.
It wasn’t clean, but it was enough. Michigan opened the season by making real progress in the paint, and that was the difference in a 16-point win.
In Other News...
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Now the picture has shifted. Recent predictions from Rivals and 247Sports point to Notre Dame as the team to beat for Burch, and the timing only adds to the intrigue with a decision expected soon. He is also set to visit Notre Dame for a game, giving the Irish a chance to make a late push in a recruitment Michigan once appeared to control. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Michigan Broadcast Choice Says A Lot About Where Both Teams Stand
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Oregon arrives with the same 5-3 record, which makes the broadcast assignment feel like a fitting snapshot of both programs right now. Neither side is in the national-title conversation, but there is still enough name value and enough at stake to make the meeting matter, especially for Michigan as it tries to steady a difficult season and keep its postseason path alive. [Read more 🡒]