2015-16 charlotte

Moe Wagner may be the #2 center. [File photo: Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Moe Wagner scored 19 points on 8/9 shooting. The German freshman hit all manner of up-and-under layups, fought through contact for and-ones, and even knocked down his only three-point attempt. His only miss came on, of all things, a botched dunk.

Yes, Michigan had a good night.

Eleven Wolverines tallied points against a hapless Charlotte squad, with Caris Levert, Zak Irvin, and Aubrey Dawkins joining Wagner in double figures. A day after Michigan couldn't find their range against UConn, they sniped 12/23 three-pointers, taking full advantage when the 49ers played a soft 2-3 zone.

By the time Mark Donnal found his way off the bench to score seven points, including a triple to get M to the century mark, Seth Davis was scolding viewers for still watching.

We'll learn much more from Michigan's consolation contest against Texas tomorrow (7 pm, AXS TV) than anything we saw tonight. The hope is Wagner's breakout is for real, Irvin continues to settle in, DJ Wilson's threes keep falling, and the Wolverines can come close to replicating this defensive performance against a team with a pulse.

THE ESSENTIALS

Right: Was not aware ecstacy was so popular among gold prospectors.

HOW TO WATCH

The broadcasts of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament are split between ESPN and AXS TV, and while you're surely familar with the former you probably need some help finding the latter. For those in the area, here's a handy guide for A2/Detroit/GR provided by U-M Media Relations:

• AT&T U-verse Ch. 1106
• Charter Ch. 820 (also Ch. 770 in Detroit)
• Comcast Ch. 382
• DirecTV Ch. 340
• DISH Ch. 167
• Wyandotte Cable TV Ch. 179

For the rest of you, AXS TV has a channel finder on their site.

THE STAKES

The winner of this game will take on the winner of Texas/Washington (7 pm, AXS) in the 5th/6th-place game on Friday at 7 pm on AXS TV. The loser faces off against the loser of UT/UW on Friday at 9:30 pm on AXS TV. You can see the full tournament bracket here.

THE LINEUP CARD

Projected starters are in bold. Hover over headers for stat explanations. The "Should I Be Mad If He Hits A Three" methodology: we're mad if a guy who's not good at shooting somehow hits one. Yes, you're still allowed to be unhappy if a proven shooter is left open. It's a free country.

Pos.	#	Name	Yr.	Ht./Wt.	%Min	%Poss	SIBMIHHAT
G	1	Braxton Ogbueze	R-Jr.	6'1, 181	78	19	No
Mostly Just A Shooter™ but can dish out the occasional assist.
G	3	Jon Davis	Fr.	6'2, 193	66	14	Kinda
Freshman got start against Cuse, posted 9-6-4. Still finding his shot.
G	2	Andrien White	Fr.	6'3, 184	73	22	No
High-volume shooter hitting 43% of twos and 41% of threes.
F	22	Bernard Sullivan	R-Sr.	6'8, 225	68	23	Very
Decent def. rebounder, blocks the occasional shot, sub-par scorer w/ limited range.
C	31	Benas Griciunas	R-So.	7'0. 233	25	28	Very
Auburn transfer starts but plays limited minutes. Stuggling except as offensive rebounder.
G	0	Ridell Camidge	So.	6'3, 188	49	17	Yes
Minutes have waned with each game because he can't find shot: 4/15 3P this year.
F	15	Anthony Vanhook	Jr.	6'4, 216	47	19	Yes
JuCo All-American is rebounding and passing very well so far this year.
C	50	Joseph Uchebo	Sr.	6'10, 261	46	22	Very
Pitt transfer. Good rebounder, shot-blocker, and finisher. Gets plurality of mins at C.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the preview.]