For the second consecutive game, Michigan took on a 2022-23 mid-major conference champion. The Horizon League regular-season champion Youngstown State Penguins visited the Crisler Center on Friday night to take on Michigan and its high powered offense.
Dug McDaniel, Terrance Williams, Olivier Nkamhoua and Will Tschetter led the way for the Wolverines in the dominant 92-62 victory.
Here are three takeaways from yet another impressive performance.
Dug McDaniel is a potential All-Big Ten guard
Many Wolverines have made noticeable improvements from last season to this year — Terrance Williams and Will Tschetter specifically — but perhaps no player has made a bigger jump in his game than Dug McDaniel. The 5-foot-11 point guard is off to a ridiculously hot start to his sophomore year.
After notching a career-high 22 points in the season opener, McDaniel continued to impress on Friday night. His 3-point shooting wasn't great — just 1-6 from beyond the arc — but he still managed to score 16 points on 6-13 shooting in the win.
His night was highlighted by an impressive crossover that left his defender lost. McDaniel then kissed a floater off the glass and banked it in.
As good as Williams and Tschetter have looked this season compared to last, McDaniel is arguably the team's most improved player, and if he keeps up this level of play, he could be an All-Big Ten selection by the time the season is over.
Olivier Nkamhoua was rightly voted captain
After Tuesday's season opener, Olivier Nkamhoua said he was surprised that he was voted to be a captain by his teammates. After all, it's only his first season in the Maize and Blue.
But now that games are being played, fans are getting an opportunity to see what Nkamhoua's teammates see everyday in practice, and it's easy to see why the Tennessee transfer was voted captain.
Nkamhoua tallied 25 points in his Michigan debut on Tuesday, and he followed it up with a 17-point showing on Friday night. He added 10 rebounds to record Michigan's first double-double of the young season.
Five of his 10 rebounds were on the offensive end of the floor, and he continually gave Michigan second chances.
After spending all of last season with a major hole at the '4,' Michigan has now not only filled that hole, but it has a go-to scorer and great rebounder in Nkamhoua.
Will Tschetter, who are you?
McDaniel's improvements can't be understated — and they weren't, see above — but Will Tschetter's Friday night showing was from another planet. McDaniel is more consistent of a scorer, but Tschetter burst onto the scene in a huge way against Youngstown State.
He led the team in scoring with a career-high 20 points, but what was most impressive was his perfect shooting numbers from the floor. The redshirt-sophomore connected on all eight of his shots, including four from distance.
It's more likely than not that Tschetter's 20-point explosion was an anomaly, but it's clear the 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward put in a ton of work to improve his game during the offseason.
If Tschetter can consistently provide decent scoring off the bench, Michigan will be a tough team to beat come Big Ten play.
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