Dusty May earned his first victory as Michigan's head coach on Monday night, and it came in very impressive fashion. Michigan had six players finish in double-figures, and the program nearly broke a record for single-game field goal percentage.
The stats are astounding, and you could go on and on dissecting how dominant Michigan was on Monday night. After the game, May reacted to his first victory as head coach.
"Overall, very pleased with the team effort," May said in an opening statement. "I thought we had great, competitive spirit, our fans were great. Overall, just a good, solid performance starting the year."
May left the starters in the game until the final two to three minutes, when the walk-ons came in.
"I think this was the second-highest field goal percentage in the history of the program. We'd like to get the highest, but we're not gonna be able to count on that. We're gonna have to find more ways to win each night when the ball's not going in. And that was the message before the game. We shot it pretty well in our exhibitions, but we're not always gonna be able to count on that."
Michigan shot 68.4 percent from the floor (just 0.8 percent off the program record), 55.6 percent from distance and scored on 62.2 of its possessions.
Coming off an 8-24 season, Crisler Center wasn't full. There is excitement surrounding the May era — and there should be — but some fans will need to see results on the court before they get invested in the team once again.
After the game, May challenged his players and fans to feed off one another.
"We told them before the game today, ‘This place probably will be half full tonight.’ And by the next month, because of the way we play, and the way we interact with each other and the way we represent Michigan, we want it to be full. We’ll give them a month.”
May challenged Michigan fans to give the team a month to earn their trust. But if the Wolverines continue to play like they did in the season opener, fans will hop on the bandwagon well before then.
Michigan will head to North Carolina, where it has a Sunday afternoon date with Wake Forest. Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2.
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