ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The energy. The fans decked out in maize and blue. The cheers and “Go Blue” chants.
A year after playing in empty arenas and in front of small groups of family members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of that was back at Crisler Center during Wednesday’s banner night for the Wolverines.
After celebrating last season’s Big Ten regular-season title in a pregame ceremony, No. 6 Michigan kicked off its campaign with an 88-76 win over Buffalo in front of a home crowd for the first time since March 5, 2020.
Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson finished with 27 points and six rebounds to lead a balanced attack that saw eight players score at least five points. Sophomore forward Terrance Williams II added a career-high 15 points off the bench and made several key baskets in the second half.
Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks and freshman forward Caleb Houstan each chipped in 11 points for Michigan (1-0), which shot 54.2% (32-for-59) from the field but missed 12 of its 30 free-throw attempts.
Jeenathan Williams scored 32, Ronaldo Segu 15 and Josh Mballa 13 for Buffalo (0-1), which shot 41.2% (28-for-68) from the field, 17.9% (5-for-28) from 3-point range and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points.
The veteran Buffalo squad — the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference and the nation’s top rebounding team a year ago — provided a stiff test and proved to be no cakewalk.
After leading by as much as 21 points in the first half and taking a 15-point lead into halftime, Michigan sputtered out of the break. Grad transfer guard DeVante’ Jones picked up his third foul and Buffalo attacked the basket to make a push fueled by Segu and Williams, cutting the deficit to 56-49 with 16:29 left.
Dickinson helped the Wolverines maintain control, scoring in the paint, getting credited for an offensive tip-in and sinking two free throws after a hook-and-hold call to push the lead to 66-53 at the 12:34 mark.
But Buffalo didn’t back down. Williams caught fire and scored nine straight for the Bulls before Keishawn Brewton buried a 3-pointer to make it 72-67 during a stretch that saw Dickinson and Jones both miss the front end of a one-and-one and had a Dickinson basket waved off due to an offensive foul.
That’s as close as it would get as Michigan rattled off a 12-2 spurt that started with a 3-pointer from Williams and a dunk from Dickinson to pull ahead 84-69 with 3:12 to go. The Wolverines led by at least 12 points the rest of the way to secure their first win.
The first half was a different story. The new faces wasted little time making an impact as Michigan got off to a strong start and took a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the game. Jones was disruptive on the defensive end and fed Dickinson on a pair of pick-and-rolls. Houstan contested a 3-pointer, raced down the court and finished a fast-break layup through contact for a three-point play.
On the next possession, freshman forward Moussa Diabate found Houstan on the wing for an open 3-pointer. Houstan returned the favor by whipping a pass to Diabate for an uncontested dunk before Diabate fired a pass out of the post to Brooks for a corner 3-pointer and a 24-11 lead with 12:44 left in the first half.
Even with Jones and Houstan saddled on the bench with two fouls, the Wolverines continued to cruise along, racking up the stops and converting at a high clip. Williams capped a 10-0 spurt with an offensive rebound and four-point play to give Michigan a 40-19 cushion at the 6:22 mark.
