Michigan to Return to Non-Conference Slate, Host South Carolina

» After a pair of Big Ten wins, Michigan returns to its non-conference slate hosting South Carolina.
» The Wolverines and Gamecocks met two seasons ago in the first of its two-game deal as U-M fell 61-46 at Colonial Life Arena.
» U-M coach John Beilein and South Carolina coach Frank Martin served together as assistant coaches under Bob McKillop (Davidson) with USA Basketball at the 2013 World University Games.
» Ignas Brazdeikis, who leads U-M with 17.0 ppg, has scored 20 points or more in four of his last five games.
» U-M swept Big Ten weekly honors as Jordan Poole was named the Player of the Week, while Ignas Brazdeikis was Freshman of the Week.

NEXT GAME
Saturday, Dec. 8 -- vs. South Carolina (Crisler Center), noon (FS1)

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team will returns to its non-conference slate to close December when it faces South Carolina on Saturday (Dec. 8) at noon inside Crisler Center. The game will be broadcast live on FS1, with Justin Kutcher and Len Elmore on the call.

A Little Bit About South Carolina

• South Carolina comes to Ann Arbor with a 4-4 overall record. The Gamecocks opened the week traveling to Laramie, Wyoming, on Wednesday, and fell, 73-64, in its first true road game of the season. After the game with the Cowboys, the Gamecocks will head straight to Ann Arbor for Saturday afternoon's matchup.
• Three players are scoring in double figures for South Carolina, led by 14.9 points per game from A.J. Lawson. Chris Silva is second at 10.3 points and a team best 6.0 rebounds, while Hassani Gravett is adding 10.0 points per game.
• Frank Martin is in his seventh season as the head coach at South Carolina; he led the Gamecocks to the 2017 Final Four. Prior to taking over at South Carolina, Martin was the head coach at Kansas State for five seasons.
• The Gamecocks joined U-M at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut, in mid-November. South Carolina fell to Providence in the semifinal, 76-67, before beating George Washington, 90-55, in the third-place game.
• South Carolina's roster features players from five different countries with Canada (A.J. Lawson), Chile (Felipe Haase), Estonia (Maik Kotsar) and Gabon (Chris Silva) represented in addition to the United States.
• Martin and U-M's John Beilein served together as assistant coaches under Bob McKillop (Davidson) with USA Basketball at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

The Return Game … Finally

• Michigan and South Carolina signed a home-and-home deal after John Beilein and Frank Martin served as assistants with USA Basketball in 2013.
• In its first true road game of the 2016-17 season, U-M lost the first matchup at South Carolina, 61-46, inside Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 23, 2016. The Wolverines shot 19 percent (10-for-52) from the field, including 2-for-26 from behind the arc. Former Wolverines Derrick Walton Jr. led U-M with 15 points, including 7-for-8 shooting from the charity stripe.
• Unable to find a return date during the 2017-18 season, the Wolverines and Gamecocks will settle the contract this season at Crisler Center.

Tidbits From U-M's Notebook

• U-M has won 23 of its past 24 contests, with the lone loss coming against Villanova in last season's national championship game. Of those 23 victories, 17 have come by double figures.
• The Wolverines hold an impressive 23-1 record in their last 24 games at Crisler Center, also dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
• The Wolverines are rated as the top defensive team by KenPom. U-M is holding opponents to 52.7 points per game -- the third lowest in the country (Dec. 5). Virginia leads at 51.5 opponents' points per game and Texas Tech is second at 52.5.
• Michigan is led in scoring by Ignas Brazdeikis (17.0 ppg), Charles Matthews (13.3 ppg) and Jordan Poole (11.9). Poole and Brazdeikis are the reigning Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
• Brazdeikis has scored 20 points or more in four of his last five games, including a career-high 24 against No. 11 North Carolina.
• Zavier Simpson has dished five-or-more assists in eight games and leads U-M with 6.0 per game. He adds 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
• Jon Teske leads U-M in rebounding (6.6 rpg), blocks (2.1 bpg) and steals (1.1 spg).

2018 Proving to Be a Great Year

• Michigan is 30-5 in the 2018 calendar year.
• In 2018, U-M repeated as Big Ten Tournament champions -- winning four games in four days for a second straight year -- and advanced to its second Final Four and national title game in the last six years.
• Over the stretch of 35 games, U-M had a 14-game win streak before losing to Villanova in the national championship AND is on a nine-game win streak to start the 2018-19 season.
• In that time the Maize and Blue has defeated eight nationally ranked teams -- with five of those among the top 10, including two over rival Michigan State.
• In 2018, U-M is 18-4 in road/neutral games and 12-1 at home.
• Among the five losses, three were true road games, three were against top-five opponents, one was a one-point home loss and one was in the national title game.
• Michigan's only losses in 2018 were against No. 5 Purdue (L, 70-69; Jan. 9), at Nebraska (L, 72-52; Jan. 18), at No. 3 Purdue (L, 92-88; Jan. 25), at Northwestern (L, 61-52; Feb. 6) and vs. No. 2 Villanova (L. 79-62; April 2).