With 17:29 left in the first half of Sunday's men's basketball game, sophomore point guard Darius Morris took the ball on a fast-break and went all the way to the basket. He froze his defender with a staggering jump stop and athletically extended his arm to lay it in and give Michigan (3-0) a two-point lead that it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game.

The play established a pattern that was seen all afternoon: Morris winding his way through and around the Gardner-Webb defense and finding open seams on his way to a game-high (and career-high) 21 points.

The Los Angeles, Calif. native notched 17 points in the season opener against South Carolina-Upstate and has been aggressive going to the hoop every night, so the scoring outburst against the Runnin' Bulldogs (3-2) wasn't much of a surprise.

But the difference on Sunday was in how Morris tallied his buckets. The point guard did make other layups but also hit several short jumpers off drives and nailed both of his three-point attempts — his first two tries from long range this season.

Because of his primary role as a distributor, Morris’s ability to go beyond passing and knock down shots is key for the Wolverines’ offensive potential.

“It opens up (the offense) for my teammates, which enables me to get them more open looks,” Morris said after the game. “Also today they knocked down a couple and it left me wide open, so teammates gave me great passes and I was just knocking it in. It’s just all about teamwork, and if we all can hit (shots), it just opens up for each other.”

Last season, Morris was inefficient on offense, shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and an abysmal 17.9 percent on 3-pointers. The sophomore knew he had to develop that aspect of his game.

“I think (my shooting’s) improved a lot,” Morris said. “I think it’s become more consistent. I just thank the coaches for working with it and people that helped me get a lot of reps up, I just have to thank them. It’s come a long way and it still needs to go a ways more, but it was a good sign today making those shots.”

All the time and effort has paid off so far in the young season. Morris became the first Wolverine to record a double-double this year, notching 10 assists to go along with his point total and only turning the ball over once.

“Don’t you like the way he’s playing?” Beilein said. "(Since) last year I’ve seen a really self-starter. He’s pushed through some ceilings, where now he believes that he can make some of those shots. That’s important.”

A FABULOUS REUNION: For a few minutes on Sunday, fans at Crisler Arena had a flashback to the program’s glory days of the early 1990s.

As part of the Legends Classic, each participating team honored several players or coaches who have made a substantial impact on its program. For Michigan, that meant the return of Fab-Fivers Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson.

The three were recognized at halftime against Gardner-Webb and received a thunderous ovation from the 7,157 fans in attendance.

"The atmosphere is still the same," Jackson said. "Just walking through the tunnel, man, brings back game after game, game experiences, practice experiences. Everything runs through your mind.”

To honor the Wolverine greats, the current Michigan team wore the black shoes-and-black socks combo that the Fab Five brashly popularized during its time in Ann Arbor.

Noticeably absent, though, were the other two members of the quintet. Juwan Howard had other obligations, as he is still in the NBA playing for the Miami Heat.

And due to his involvement in the Ed Martin-booster scandal, former All-American Chris Webber did not attend. Michigan is forbidden by the NCAA from associating with him until 2012.

“It’s a process,” Rose said.