Friday night was Jerret Smith's first collegiate game - but his performance didn't show it.

When the freshman point guard entered the game with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half, the Wolverines held a tight 13-11 lead. Five minutes later, when Smith returned to the bench, Michigan had gained a comfortable 26-14 advantage.

During his first five minutes of play, Smith started his night off hot. After senior Graham Brown snatched an offensive rebound, he kicked it out to a ready Smith, who confidently stroked a 3-pointer.

Then, on the next offensive possession, junior Courtney Sims sealed off his defender on the left block, and Smith - at the wing - bounced a pass that led Sims to the basket for an easy lay-in.

"You're always excited for your first game, but I wasn't nervous," Smith said. "I was excited to play with (my teammates who I battle with in practice)."

Smith returned with six minutes left in the first half and ignited the crowd with junior Lester Abram's help. After taking an outlet pass from Sims, Smith looked down the court to Abram who had leaked down the court. Smith lobbed the ball to Abram, who slammed it down and was fouled in the process. He converted the and-one opportunity, and the Wolverines held a 19-point lead.

In the second half, Smith continued his inspired play and showed his court awareness on several occasions.

As Smith set up the offense, Abram brought his defender high to the wing and quickly cut behind him to the basket. Smith saw the streaking Abram and tossed a bounce pass that Abram finished with a slam.

Later, Smith stole the ball and pushed it down the court, looking for an open man. He saw Sims, who had positioned himself on the opposite block. Smith lobbed the pass up to Sims, who collected it and converted the lay-in.

The Romulus native finished off his night with another assist. With the ball in the corner, Smith drove the baseline, but two Central Michigan defenders collapsed on him. Smith calmly wrapped a bounce pass around the defenders to a wide-open Sims, who easily made the lay-up.

"In his first regular-season game as a Wolverine, the freshman didn't show any jitters on the court, scoring eight points and dishing nine assists while turning the ball over just twice," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said.

"He has an ability to put the ball in a position where all they need to do is just finish it and score. He's a very well-liked guy in our locker room because of that."

A time to share: On the stat sheet, 21 assists really doesn't outweigh 19 turnovers. But, in Michigan's case, both these stats showed that Michigan is growing as a team unit.

After struggling to find and maintain offensive rhythm in the two exhibitions games, the Wolverines shook off the rust and the pieces finally fell into place. The Wolverines registered 21 assists on 29 total field goals.

"We're one big family," Smith said. "We all have each other's back. If one of us goes to battle then we all go to battle. The chemistry on this team is very strong, and I don't think anyone can come between that right now."

Whether on the fastbreak or in the set offense, the Wolverines seemed to find the open man the majority of the time. The Michigan guards would set up the offense or look to drive and dish to an open shooter waiting on the wing.

Even though Michigan turned the ball over 19 times, due in large part to its emphasis on running whenever possible, most of the turnovers were not caused by Central Michigan pressure. On several fastbreaks, the Wolverines rushed passes, causing unnecessary turnovers.

In the second half, the Wolverines had a three-on-one, but, as Smith took the ball on the wing, he couldn't corral it and lost it out-of-bounds.

"Certainly, we need to do a better job of valuing the ball," Amaker said.

In the zone: Central Michigan looked confused and frustrated. On numerous possessions, the Chippewas ran the shot clock below 10 and sometimes below five before they could get a shot off.

Part of the reason for Central Michigan's confusion was the 1-3-1 matchup zone Michigan used throughout the game. With 10:33 remaining in the second half, the Wolverines came out of a Chippewa timeout in a 1-3-1 zone setup. Central Michigan struggled to find an open shot, and Sefton Barrett missed a contested jump shot.

"I thought the zone was a key for us," Amaker said. "I thought that we were able to slow them down a little bit. They weren't able to drive it by us as much. It gave us a chance to gather ourselves and regroup a little bit."

Michigan also utilized half-court traps to fluster the Chippewa attack. When the Central Michigan guards would cross half court, they would be forced to a sideline and then a double-team would come.