The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with an 88-76 victory over Buffalo on Wednesday evening (Nov. 10) at Crisler Center.

U-M won its 19th straight season opener, all of which have been at Crisler.

The Wolverines (1-0) shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from the floor and made six three-pointers, four of which came in the first half. U-M scored 42 of its points in the paint and scored 12 points off of nine Buffalo (0-1) turnovers.

Sophomore Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines with 27 points, marking his sixth career game with 20 points or more points and added six rebounds. Sophomore Terrance Williams II had a career night with 15 points, including two three-pointers, and pulled down a career-best seven rebounds. Fifth-year senior Eli Brooks went 5-for-8 from the floor with one three-pointer for 11 points and dished out four assists.

Six Wolverines made their Michigan debuts with transfer DeVante Jones getting the start and scoring seven points and handing out a team-best five assists. Freshman Caleb Houstan also was in the starting five, ending the evening with 11 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Moussa Diabate chipped in seven points, five rebounds and had a team-best two blocks. Also earning minutes off the bench were Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin.

Michigan scored on its first possession of the game with two free throws from Brandon Johns Jr. before the Wolverines made four of its five shots heading into the first media timeout with a 15-9 advantage. Coming out of the short break, U-M went on a 7-0 run that included a Houstan three-pointer to extend its lead to 19-9.

U-M continued to drive the pace of the game as the defense put Buffalo on ice for more than three minutes, helping the Maize and Blue push its lead to 24-11, capped off with a Brooks dunk with 12:44 remaining in the first half.

The Wolverine defense continued to be stellar as it forced the Bulls to go 0-for-8, and Diabate added two blocks, giving U-M a 35-19 advantage heading into a media timeout. Michigan maintained a 15-point lead over the final three minutes of half to take a 51-36 into the locker room at halftime.

Dickinson led U-M in the first half with 10 points, while Houstan had eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Diabate added seven points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks in the first half. Michigan shot 56.3 percent from the floor and made four three-pointers.

Buffalo came out of the halftime break with a bit of fire, cutting the Michigan advantage to seven, 56-49, before Williams tipped in a Dickinson shot with 15:08 left in the half. The Bulls kept within striking distance as Michigan continued to struggle to find a rhythm on the offensive end but maintained a five-point lead, 72-67, with 5:43 left in regulation.

Williams ignited a spark in the offense when he dropped a three-pointer at the top of the arc with 5:18 left, and Dickinson followed it up with a huge offensive putback to push the U-M advantage back to 10, 77-67.

Houstan extended the Wolverine lead to 15 with a make from beyond the arc and Michigan maintained its double-digit advantage for the final three minutes to seal the victory.

The Wolverines will hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Washington, D.C., for a Saturday night (Nov. 13) showdown with Prairie View A&M in a Coaches vs. Racism contest. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.