Nobody knows what to expect from the relatively inexperienced Michigan men’s basketball team this season, but one thing is for certain: the scoring will be far more spread out than last year’s Manny Harris- and DeShawn Sims-led squad.

That mantra, preached by Michigan coach John Beilein all offseason, epitomized the Wolverines’ scoring effort on Friday night in a 68-59 exhibition victory over Saginaw Valley State, as nine of the 10 players who had floor time made the score sheet.

Michigan’s starting five, which saw many changes through the offseason, consisted of sophomore Darius Morris at the point, junior Zack Novak at shooting guard, freshmen Tim Hardaway Jr. and Evan Smotrycz at forward and redshirt freshman Jordan Morgan at center.

Morris was Michigan’s leading scorer for the night, as he finished up with 18 points, nine of which came on free throws. He wound up being the lone offensive bright spot on a night when the Wolverines finished 19-for-54 shooting — just 35 percent from the field.

Novak, who many have pegged as the preseason leader of this roster, showed early on that he’s ready for the leadership role. After Saginaw Valley State won the opening tipoff, he picked up a quick defensive rebound, pushed up the court and pulled up at the foul line to drain the game's first basket.

But Novak’s production tailed off after the initial score, and he finished up with five points and six rebounds in his first game back at guard after playing most of last season at forward.

“He’s just a gritty guy who’s doing everything he can and really doesn’t care about his numbers except the scoreboard,” Beilein said after the game. “Hopefully he’ll rebound even better because of the fact that he’s not boxing out a six-eight guy anymore.”

The Wolverines’ true freshmen didn’t take long to make their presence felt on the court, as Hardaway Jr. and Smotrycz combined for 11 first-half points. Hardaway’s first points in a Michigan jersey came three minutes into the game on a three-point attempt from the left side of the arc. And on the next Michigan possession, Smotrycz drained his own three from the same spot.

Like Novak, their production declined in the second half, as Hardaway finished the night just 2-for-10 shooting and 1-for-7 behind the arc, while Smotrycz went 2-for-8 and 1-for-6, respectively.

At center, Morgan made his case for the starting job when the team opens up the season against South Carolina Upstate next Saturday. In his 22 minutes of play, Morgan owned the paint — he closed off lanes to the basket, blocked a shot and collected 15 boards. He also tallied nine points of his own.

“I embrace my role on this team,” Morgan said. “Setting good screens and getting my teammates open and finishing the few dropped balls and stuff that come my way.”

The other players who saw time at center — redshirt freshman Blake McLimans and freshman Jon Horford — were not as strong in the key and didn’t see nearly as much time.

McLimans, who was recruited mostly for his strong shooting abilities as a big man, went just 1-for-4 from the field and missed both of his three-point attempts. But the 6-foot-10 center did have two blocks in the paint that helped stifle a late-game Cardinal rally.

Although Michigan pulled out the win, Beilein knows his players will have to start shooting better late in games if they want to compete against Big Ten competition.

“Make no mistake about it,” Beilein said in the postgame press conference. “We are not the Boston Celtics out there. We have a lot of work to do.”