Michigan
LSU
Wolverines to Open With LSU in Maui Jim Maui Invitational
11/18/2017 8:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan is playing in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational for the fourth time in program history.
» The Wolverines won the tournament in 1988, which was a precursor to its first national title.
» U-M head coach John Beilein is making his second appearance in Maui after taking the Wolverines in 2011 and going 2-1, finishing third.
» Four of Michigan's five starters are averaging in double figures, led by Duncan Robinson's 14.3 points per game.
THIS WEEK
Monday, Nov. 20 -- vs. LSU (Lahaina Civic Center), 6:30 p.m. HT
Tuesday, Nov. 21 -- vs. Notre Dame/Chaminade (Lahaina Civic Center), TBD
Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- vs. TBD (Lahaina Civic Center), TBD
• TV: ESPNU | Live Stats | Live Audio
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Maui Jim Maui Invitational
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
The University of Michigan men's basketball team opens the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational with LSU on Monday (Nov. 20) at the Lahaina Civic Center. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. HT (11:30 p.m. ET) with the game on ESPNU. The Wolverines are slated to play Notre Dame or tournament host Chaminade on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
A LITTLE ABOUT LSU
• LSU opened the season with a 99-59 victory over Alcorn State (Nov. 10); the Tigers host Samford (Nov. 16) in their final game before heading to Maui.
•Tremont Waters led the Tigers with 27 points in the opener. He also added six assists, five rebounds and five steals.
• Will Wade is in his first season as the head coach at LSU, having previously led VCU to two straight NCAA Tournament berths and a combined 51-20 record.
• Duop Reath, the leading returning scorer for the Tigers, averaged 12.0 points per game a season ago.
• LSU is coming off a 10-23 season in 2016-17, including a 2-16 mark in SEC play; the Tigers were picked to finish 14th in the SEC Preseason Poll.
• This will be the first meeting between Michigan and LSU since 1996; U-M leads the all-time series 2-0.
THIS AND THAT
• Michigan opened the season playing three games in a six-day span -- going 3-0. The Wolverines are referring to this span as a NCAA Tournament type stretch as they head to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
• In near mirror images of each other, U-M has scored 32 points in each of its first halves as the Wolverines are reading and trying to crack the code of what their opponents are doing. In fact, U-M led by just two against North Florida, one against Central Michigan and trailed by one against Southern Mississippi, before rallying in second half to win.
• After halftime adjustments, U-M has shot 51.1 percent and used scoring runs of 18-1 vs North Florida, 18-8 vs. CMU and 18-1 vs. Southern Miss help seal the wins.
• So far, the Wolverines have posted 73.0 points per game early this season, with a season-high 86 in the opener against North Florida.
• U-M has four players averaging in double figures, with Duncan Robinson leading the way with 14.3 points per game, while Moritz Wagner (13.3), Charles Matthews (13.0) and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12.0) follow.
SPRECHEN SIE BUCKETS ... WAIT REBOUNDS?
• Moe Wagner started the season off producing back-to-back double-doubles. He has doubled his career output with those two after recording just one in the previous two seasons.
• He posted a career-best 12 in the season opener against North Florida and followed with 11 against Central Michigan.
• In addition to his 9.7 boards per game, Wagner is averaging 13.3 points per game.
THREE-HEADED POINT GUARD
• Michigan has rotated three point guards as U-M head coach John Beilein continues to evaluate before settling on a permanent solution. It is the first time U-M has not had a point guard battle after the likes of All-Big Ten Derrick Walton Jr., National Player of the Year Trey Burke and All-Big Ten Darius Morris have guided the Wolverines over the last seven years.
• Sophomore Zavier Simpson has started all three games and is averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 assists in 22.3 minutes -- including a career-best nine assists in the opener vs. North Florida
• Graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons has come off the bench to average 3.0 points and 2.3 assists in 14.3 minutes
• Freshman Eli Brooks has come off the bench in all three games, playing 6.7 minutes per game.
BIG JOHN
• Sophomore Jon Teske has continued to get better and better with each game, gaining the confidence he needs to come off the bench and spell Moe Wagner.
• So far this season, he has averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.
• Providing a spark, Teske had his best collegiate game, helping U-M rally against Southern Miss with his first double-double with a career-best 10 points and career-high 11 rebounds.
• The best part of Teske's success is during practice and after games in the locker room, U-M coach John Beilein stops everything to play Johnny Cash's "Big John."
