The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2021 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Ann Arbor as a projected NBA Draft lottery pick, but went through some freshman growing pains in the first few weeks of the season. Houstan averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in his first six contests while shooting slightly above 25 percent from three. Given that he has slid into Franz Wagner's old role as the starting three, much has been expected of him. He recorded his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 65-54 win over Tarleton State on Nov. 24. Freshman forward Moussa Dia- bate: Michigan's other five-star fresh- man came off the bench in the first six games of the year, but made as much of an impact as any. Diabate averaged 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds right out of the gate and shot 67.9 percent from the floor. The dynamic athlete has also proven to be a star defender, disrupting shots in the paint while also display- ing the ability to guard from the pe- rimeter. Diabate had a pair of 14-point, seven-rebound performances in wins over UNLV (74-61) on Nov. 20 in Las Vegas and Tarleton State on Nov. 24 in Ann Arbor. Freshman point guard Frankie Collins: Collins could be someone to keep an eye on heading into the stretch run of non-conference play and the start of the Big Ten season. He played only 12 minutes combined in the first two games of the year and did not see the floor at all in games against Seton Hall (Nov. 16) and UNLV (Nov. 19). Jones' foul trouble forced the frosh point guard into action against Arizona (80-62 loss on Nov. 21) and Tarleton State, the latter of which was a breakout game for him. Collins played 15 first- half minutes with six points and four assists while only turning the ball over once. His development will be critical for guard depth regardless of whether Jones' early struggles continue. Freshman combo guard Kobe Bufkin: Bufkin saw action in five of the first six games, averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.5 per- cent from the floor. He scored a career- high eight points in 17 minutes in a 77- 49 win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 13 in the Coaches vs. Racism game in Washington, D.C. The former top-40 recruit will be another talented fresh- man to keep an eye on as he develops throughout the season. Freshman wing Isaiah Barnes: Barnes does not project to crack the rotation much this season. However, he did play three minutes in his lone appearance thus far, an 80-62 loss to Arizona in the Roman Main Event in Vegas. Barnes did not record a statistic in that contest. Freshman forward Will Tschetter: Tschetter did not see game action dur- ing the first six contests and is expected to redshirt this season barring an injury or shakeup to the lineup. — Anthony Broome TURNOVERS PLAGUING MICHIGAN IN THE EARLY GOING Michigan turned the ball over 21 times in an 11-point win over Tarleton State Nov. 24, marking the second-most giveaways a Juwan Howard-coached U-M team has registered in a contest, and that only continued the ongoing trend. "Some of the passes that we were making were, I would say in a respectful way, mindless," Howard said after the aforementioned victory. "Forcing when it wasn't available. … We were forcing it into traffic, and that can't happen." The Wolverines have turned it over 15 or more times in three of six games, and are losing control of the ball on 21.5 percent of their possessions, per Ken- Pom, which is up from 16.6 percent last season. The Maize and Blue haven't fin- ished a season with a worse turnover rate since 2006-07, former head coach Tommy Amaker's final campaign in Ann Arbor. — Clayton Sayfie 2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule Date Opponent Time* (TV) Nov. 10 Buffalo W, 88-76 Nov. 13 vs. Prairie View A&M% W, 77-49 Nov. 16 Seton Hall# L, 65-67 Nov. 19 vs. UNLV^ W, 74-61 Nov. 21 vs. Arizona^ L, 62-80 Nov. 24 Tarleton State W, 65-54 Dec. 1 at North Carolina$ 9:15 p.m. (ESPN) Dec. 4 San Diego State 1 p.m. (CBS) Dec. 7 at Nebraska 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2) Dec. 11 Minnesota 6:30 p.m. (FS1) Dec. 18 Southern Utah 7 p.m. (BTN) Dec. 21 Purdue Fort Wayne 7 p.m. (BTN) Dec. 30 at Central Florida 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Jan. 4 at Rutgers 7 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 8 Michigan State 2:30 p.m. (FOX) Jan. 11 Purdue 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Jan. 14 at Illinois 8 p.m. CT (FS1) Jan. 18 Maryland 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Jan. 23 at Indiana 12/3:30 p.m. (CBS) Jan. 26 Northwestern 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 29 at Michigan State 12:30 p.m. (CBS) Feb. 1 Nebraska 9 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 5 at Purdue 2:30 p.m. (FOX) Feb. 8 at Penn State 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Feb. 12 Ohio State 6 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Feb. 17 at Iowa 6 p.m. CT (ESPN/ESPN2) Feb. 20 at Wisconsin 12 p.m. CT (CBS) Feb. 23 Rutgers 7 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 27 Illinois 2 p.m. (CBS) Mar. 3 Iowa 9 p.m. (FS1) Mar. 6 at Ohio State 12:30 p.m. (FOX) Mar. 9-13 Big Ten Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis * Times in ET unless otherwise noted; % Coaches vs. Racism in Washington, D.C.; # Gavitt Tipoff Games in Ann Arbor; ^ Roman Main Event in Las Vegas; $ Big Ten/ACC Challenge