Preview and prediction: Michigan basketball exhibition vs. Northwood

Michigan Wolverines basketball will make its first impression in a game environment at Crisler Center with an exhibition game against D-II Northwood Friday night.

Northwood has already played an exhibition game, having lost to Central Michigan Sunday (Oct. 22), 81-55. The Timberwolves went 2-26 overall last season. Set to begin their fourth season under head coach Lonnie Griffin, Northwood is 13-59 under his watch. Northwood was picked 13th in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference preseason poll.

Michigan head man Juwan Howard is recovering from a heart procedure that he underwent Sept. 15. Associate head coach Phil Martelli is acting in his place until his return, for which a timetable has not been provided. The Wolverines are fresh off topping Marquette in a ‘secret scrimmage’ over the weekend.

To get you ready for tip off, here’s a breakdown of key players, what to watch for and our final score prediction.

RELATED
• Michigan basketball: How Jaaron Simmons went from MAC transfer to critical piece on staff
• Three things we think: Preseason opinions on Michigan, Big Ten basketball

Game information: Michigan basketball vs. Indiana

Projected Michigan starters

Michigan’s projected starters: Sophomore guard Dug McDaniel, graduate guard Nimari Burnett, graduate forward Tray Jackson, graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua and sophomore forward Tarris Reed Jr.

Michigan injuries: Graduate guard Jaelin Llewellyn has not yet practiced full-go while recovering from an ACL injury suffered last December. Junior guard Jace Howard is doubtful with a minor knee injury.

Projected Northwood starters

• #11 – Sophomore guard Collin Albert (6-1, 165) — He played 30 minutes against the Chippewas, posting 9 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds with 5 turnovers, shooting 3-of-12 from the field. He came in from St. Clair County C.C.

• #3 – Junior guard Jayden Sims (6-3, 150) — He averaged 11 points per game in 23 appearances for Siena Heights last season. He registered 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting overall and 1-of-4 from long range and 1 assist in Sunday’s exhibition.

• #24 – Sophomore guard Will Young II (6-4, 174) — The Okemos (Mich.) High product led Northwood with 10 points (4-13 FG, 2-6 3PT) and added 5 rebounds and a block against Central Michigan. He averaged 8.4 points per game and shot 35.7 percent from the field last season.

• #0 – Junior forward Xavier Bargesser (6-5, 191) — The Alma College (D-III) transfer averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 44.5 percent from the field (24.3 percent from deep) for Northwood last season. He went 1-for-5 from the field with 2 points and 5 rebounds versus Central Michigan.

• #33 – Junior forward Richard Lowe (6-8, 250) — The Western Oklahoma State (JUCO) product is entering his first season with Northwood. He scored 6 points and corralled 9 boards Sunday. He averaged 11.8 and 12.5 points per game in two seasons at his previous stop, shooting 52.3 percent from the field. Last season, he posted 7.6 rebounds per contest.

What to watch for: Michigan vs. Northwood

1. Michigan’s rotation
The Wolverines will be without Llewellyn, meaning the backcourt will be thin. It’ll be that way for some time, until he returns. And even then, it’s not like they have a plethora of guards to work with, especially considering George Washington III will remain in the mix, and he’s a freshman learning the ropes. McDaniel and Burnett will start in the backcourt, and Washington will mix in.

The Wolverines will be looser with the rotation, so we’ll likely see more guys than usual (and let’s be honest, they’ll probably have a significant lead most of the game), but we’ll be watching who comes in first, and how lineups are built / players are paired.

Martelli said on ‘Inside Michigan Basketball’ this week that the team’s versatility — one of its strengths according to everyone we talked to in the preseason — will allow it to almost simulate being a deeper team than it really is. Nine players in the rotation is really 9.5, for example, since some can play multiple positions.

Nkamhoua will play the ‘4’ and ‘5.’ Jackson will see time at the ‘3’ and ‘4.’ Senior forward Terrance Williams II, meanwhile, feels like a ‘3’ this season, but he can also play in the frontcourt.

2. What will Michigan run, and who will it run action through?
In other words, what’s Michigan’s identity? Based on all the new parts, the Llewellyn injury and the fact that they don’t have their head coach, we don’t expect the Wolverines to have their identity figured out right away.

But who the go-to guys are — we expect that Nkamhoua is the alpha, that’s how it looked when we observed a practice and scrimmage — but we’re interested to see what the roles will look like for the others. When plays break down, who’s doing what?

3. Debuts
We won’t take much stock in the exhibition game, but seeing Washington, Burnett, Nkamhoua and Jackson play in a game environment for Michigan for the first time will be exciting.

We love what Washington could become for the Maize and Blue. He’s a true ‘basketball player’ who seems to be in the right spots and has a great shot. If he can impact in his first season, it’ll be a big win for Howard and Co.

Prediction

It’s in the headline, so we have to make one. Those are the rules.

There’s really no difference in what the score is here. Michigan will win big. It won’t drop this one like Louisville did to Kentucky Wesleyan earlier this week. Northwood is bad — really bad — for a Division II school. Michigan will jump out to a big lead and play a bunch of guys.

Prediction: Michigan 89, Northwood 48