In the Michigan men’s basketball team’s loss to North Carolina last Wednesday, offense was hard to come by.

The Wolverines shot just 35% from the field, including a 5-of-16 clip from beyond the arc. Michigan struggled to move the ball in transition and halfcourt sets, picking up just nine assists on the night. By the time the second-half clock hit double-zeros, the Wolverines had mustered only 51 points.

Less than a week later, Michigan scored 51 points at Nebraska — in the first half alone. And then it scored another 51 in the second half en route to a 102-67 blowout win to open conference play.

In Lincoln, the Wolverines lit up the Cornhuskers on offense. Three different Michigan players scored at least nine points in the first half, led by 16 from senior forward Brandon Johns Jr. Just a week after being relegated to the bench, Johns was thrust back into the starting lineup when star freshman Moussa Diabate (non-COVID illness) couldn’t make the trip on Tuesday.

A week ago, it appeared Johns could’ve been slipping behind Diabate and Terrance Williams II in the Wolverines’ battle for minutes at the ‘4.’ But Michigan coach Juwan Howard insisted Johns was embracing the new role while remaining ready to contribute.

“If you’re not in the right mindset, if you're concerned with yourself and worried about your minutes and you’re in the wrong, negative headspace, it’s going to affect your play,” Howard said Monday. “… Brandon has been special on all levels. What he’s done has been remarkable with how he’s accepted his role, and knowing that we need him and we’re going to lean on him.”

On Tuesday, Johns proved exactly that. When the Wolverines were forced to lean on him, he answered the challenge, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting and five rebounds.

“Brandon came here to play some big minutes for us,” Howard said after the game. “His production was as great as you can ask for a young man who’s competing hard. And at times when things haven't gone his way, you know, he's always stuck in there.”

While Johns stole the show, the most encouraging sign was the team’s offensive improvement across the board. Prior to Saturday’s game against San Diego State, Michigan was shooting just 29% from beyond the arc on the season. The Wolverines have found their stroke in the two games since, posting a 50% clip from downtown. That’s not for a lack of volume, either, as they’ve hoisted more than 50 attempts.

Freshman wing Caleb Houstan, in particular, has turned things around with his shooting stroke. After a poor stretch that saw him miss 13 of 14 3-point attempts, he’s made 12 of his last 21 tries over the past four games. That opens up the interior for sophomore center Hunter Dickinson, who has 38 points on 17-of-30 shooting since foul trouble limited him to just 17 minutes against North Carolina.

Fellow Washington, D.C. native Terrance Williams poured in a career-high 22 points, while graduate transfer point guard DeVante’ Jones registered eight assists and zero turnovers — his first game without a giveaway all season. The offensive flow led to 25 assists, the most the Wolverines have recorded against a Big Ten opponent in three seasons under Howard.

“You know the way the ball was just moving, it was popping,” Howard said. “And it was great to see our guys sharing the game. You know, there were times when we passed up an open shot for a better shot with a guy (who) was in a corner. … (We did a) really good job of driving the basketball, not just settling for jumpers.”

Looking at the box score, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Michigan player who underwhelmed at the offensive end on Tuesday. With a 102-point offensive onslaught to kick off the Big Ten season, Michigan may have permanently put its early-season scoring hiccups in the rearview mirror.

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