After every point he scored, block he made, or steal he had, freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr. played with the biggest smile in his college debut. It was polished with the confidence of a fifth-year senior and the jitters of a kid on his first day of school.

At one point during the Michigan men's basketball team's 66-35 win over South Carolina Upstate on Saturday, three Wolverines dunked on consecutive possessions. But each acted as if his last play was no big deal. To Hardaway Jr. things were different, the smile on his face made it seem as if every point he scored was his first point ever.

USC Upstate drew first blood, sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the key. But Hardaway Jr., arguably one of Beilein's biggest recruits, responded on the other end with one of his own. He finished three-for-eight from 3-point range and led the team in scoring with 19 points in just 25 minutes played.

“I’m part of the Michigan family and it feels great,” Hardaway Jr. said. “I like the left wing a lot. I had a little jitters but (junior guard Zack) Novak and the guys said, ‘Hey, it’s going be all right.’… Everybody was making shots and I was wide open, and coach says that if you’re open knock them down.”

Hardaway Jr. drew a lot of attention from the Spartans, as the defense gave him little space and played him more aggressively. But his shots from the field repeatedly fell the defense played him tighter, giving him a lot of room on the edge to take it through the lane.

About five minutes into the second half, Hardaway Jr. pushed the ball down the court, elevated himself over a defender and came down with a dunk. He showed versatility, something that the Wolverines need to replace after losing Manny Harris last season.

“Coach got on us last practice about running the lane,” Hardaway Jr. said. “I proved to him that I can get out there and run that lane.”

Hardaway Jr.'s style of play fits nicely into Michigan coach John Beilein’s offense. He can shoot from anywhere on the court but penetrate the lane as well. And he can succeed with the ball in his hands.

Though sophomore Darius Morris ran the point for most of the contest, Hardaway Jr. pushed the ball the length of the court, something critical for the guards in this offense.

“Coach wants me to get the ball and go,” Hardaway Jr. said. “Coach wants all the guards to get the ball and push it. We can all handle the pressure and the fast break.”

“(Tim is) getting more and more comfortable,” Beilein said. “He’s so passionate to play and do well. … I’m big on strengths can be your weaknesses. It’s such a passion that sometimes; he will just lose a little bit of focus for what he’s doing out there. Every day that’s getting very good. I love his energy that he brings to us. … (He) just really did a great job of running the club and playing really great defense.”