Michigan
UC Riverside
Wolverines Return to Ann Arbor for Sunday Tilt with UC Riverside
11/24/2017 10:28:00 AM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan returns to Crisler Center after spending the last week in Maui and going 2-1 (fifth place) in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
» The Wolverines host UC Riverside before heading to face defending national champion North Carolina in the B1G/ACC Challenge in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night (Nov. 29).
» Sunday's (Nov. 26) game will be Michigan's fourth in a seven-day span.
» Charles Matthews continues to lead U-M with 16.7 points and 5.7 rebounds after a stellar performance in Maui.
THIS WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 26 -- vs. UC Riverside (Crisler Center), 4 p.m.
• TV: FS1 | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
• Satellite Radio: Sirius: 138 | XM: 201 | Internet: 961
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Promos: 2017-18 Season
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
After a week in Maui, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (5-1) returns to Ann Arbor to take on UC Riverside (2-2) in a Sunday afternoon (Nov. 26) match-up at Crisler Center. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. with the game broadcast on FS1. The game will be the first meeting between the two programs.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE
• UC Riverside comes to Ann Arbor with a 2-2 record after opening the season with a 74-66 upset win over California before falling to Loyola Marymount, 76-64. The Highlanders dropped a 94-82 decision to Portland State before a 75-57 road win at Western New Mexico en route to U-M.
• In the upset win over Cal, senior forward Alex Larsson (15 points, 13 rebounds) and sophomore guard Dikymbe Martin (12 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded a double-double, as the Highlanders jumped out to a 40-21 first-half lead and held on for the victory.
• Larsson leads UC Riverside with 14.0 points a game, while Martin is second at 13.8. Chance Murray leads in rebounding at 7.5 per game.
• UC Riverside traveled to Quebec City, Canada for three exhibition games this summer. The Highlanders went 3-0 with wins over Universite Laval (73-68), UQAM (79-39) and QC United (63-48).
• Dennis Cutts is in his fifth season as head coach at UC Riverside. Cutts joined the UC Riverside staff as an assistant coach in 2007-08.
THIS AND THAT
• U-M is averaging 77.3 points per game, with a season-high 102 against Chaminade in Maui. The 102 points mark the first time the Wolverines eclipsed the century mark since 2015.
• Michigan has four players averaging in double figures with Charles Matthews leading at 16.7 points per game. Moe Wagner is just behind at 14.3, Duncan Robinson is averaging 13.0 points per game, and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman is producing 12.5 per game. The four account for 73 percent on U-M's offense.
• The Maize and Blue is averaging 8.8 turnovers per game with five games with 10 or fewer and a season-low six against Central Michigan. The Wolverines are forcing 14.2 opponent turnovers.
• Freshman Eli Brooks has moved into the starting role at point guard, with Zavier Simpson coming off the bench as U-M's sixth man.
• Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman has recorded a team-best 22 assists and just one turnover. He has added 12.5 points with five straight double-figure games.
CHARLES IN CHARGE
• Charles Matthews continues to lead U-M as he has scored 20-plus points in three of six games and leads U-M with 16.7 points per game. He scored a career-best 28 points against LSU and recorded his first career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Chaminade. He adds 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
• Matthews is shooting 56.5 percent from the field -- shooting 64.7 percent on two-point field goals (33-for-51) and 33.3 percent on three-pointers (6-for-18). The only anomaly is his 55.2 percent from the free throw line.
SPRECHEN SIE BUCKETS ... WAIT, REBOUNDS?
• Moe Wagner, who leads U-M with 8.3 rebounds per game, started off the season producing back-to-back double-doubles. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds against North Florida and followed with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Central Michigan. With those, he has doubled his previous career output after recording just one in his first two seasons.
• Wagner's 12 boards against North Florida are his career best as he now has four career 10-plus rebounding games.
• Wagner has scored in double figures in all six games and is second on the team with 14.3 points per game. He had a season-best 24 against LSU in Maui, just off his career best of 26 (Louisville, 2017 NCAA).
WHAT'S ON THE DOCKET
• After traveling back from Maui to take on UC Riverside, the Wolverines will head back out for a road game in the B1G/ACC Challenge against defending national champion North Carolina. The battle in Chapel Hill is scheduled for Wednesday (Nov. 29) at 7:30 p.m.
• Upon returning from UNC, U-M will play a pair of early Big Ten games, hosting Indiana, Saturday, Dec. 2, at Crisler Center on CBS (12:30 p.m.) before heading to Ohio State for a Monday night, Dec. 4, showdown in Columbus at 6:30 p.m. (FS1). With the Big Ten Tournament moved up a week due to playing in New York, there are no byes and teams will have to play two league games early in December. In fact, with the expansion of Big Ten play next season, two early conference match-ups will become a regular occurrence.
