Rick Osentoski – USA Today Sports
The No. 7 Michigan Wolverines opened their 2013-14 season at home against the Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks.
The Wolverines struggled in the first half, only putting up 23 points, and went into halftime tied with the River Hawks. This is very unlike the Wolverines, and fans had to hope that they would get it together in the second half or suffer an upset that no one expected to happen.
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Michigan went 6-of-23 from the field in the first half and was only 1-of-9 from three-point range. They looked nothing like the team of last year that almost won the national title. It could be because they are missing Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., who both left for the NBA after last season, and are hurting without them. Or it could just be that it was the first half of the first game of the season and they just needed to get into a rhythm.
That has to be it. The Wolverines came alive in the second half, though, the River Hawks took a two-point lead early in the second half. The Wolverines scored the next 21 points and allowed their fans to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing they had the game under control. They eventually came out with the 69-42 win over the River Hawks.
Caris LeVert led the Wolverines in scoring with 17 points, while Glenn Robinson III added 15 of his own.
The Wolverines are one of the top teams in the Big Ten, but won’t have a true test until Dec. 3 when they head to Durham, N.C. to take on the Duke Blue Devils. It will be awhile before we find out if this Michigan team is for real like last season or if they are hurting from the losses of Burke and Hardaway Jr. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Jenna Aquino is a Big Ten Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, “Like” her on Facebook, add her to your network on Google, or reach her by e-mail at .
