Michigan basketball's sharpshooting start and how long it can last

Can Michigan maintain its scorching three-point pace? Coach May shares his thoughts.

Michigan guard Trey McKenney (1) dribbles against Oakland guard Ziare Wells (2) during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Monday, November 3, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 6 Michigan basketball team opened its season in impressive fashion last Monday (Nov. 3) in a 121-78 victory over Oakland in Ann Arbor, Mich. 

One of the many things that stood out as impressive in that win was the Wolverines' ability to knock down shots from deep. Through 40 minutes, UofM shot a staggering 54.3 (19-for-35) percent from beyond the arc 

Michigan was also impressive at the line, finishing 12-for-13 (92.3 percent) at the charity stripe and 45-for-70 (64.3 percent from the floor.

What Dusty Said

Head coach Dusty May addressed the media on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with Wake Forest in Detroit, Mich. 

The second-year head coach of the Wolverines was asked if their three-point pace can continue. 

“Other than yesterday, I think we've shot it well every day of the week,” May said. “I think one day we had a 20 for 44 day from three, and this is all just off just scanning the stats after practice, but yeah, I think if we take the right ones, we're gonna have some big shooting nights.”

As it stands right now, the Wolverines are currently second in the nation in three-point shooting percentage, only behind Kansas State, which is shooting at 56 percent from deep.

Who is Hitting the Shots

Freshman guard Trey McKenney shot an impressive 6-for-8 from deep in the home opener, scoring 21 points off the bench. 

“Now, we never thought we were built to be an elite shooting team, but Trey McKenney was brought in here as a high-level shooter,” May said. “The USA basketball coaches told me last year they felt like he was probably the best shooter in their camp, and this is before we had him in the fold.”

Michigan freshman Trey McKenney was lights out in his debut finishing with 21 points on 7-10 from the field and 6-8 from deep🎯 pic.twitter.com/9IDmqJG2qw

— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) November 4, 2025

A pair of returners in Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter, each hit four triples in the opener. Last season, Burnett shot from deep at a 40 percent clip while Tschetter was at 35.1 percent.

In total, the Wolverines had seven different players knock down shots from behind the arc against the Golden Grizzlies.

Final Takeaways

Will Michigan finish the season shooting above 50 percent? No, but they have the potential to finish the year as one of the best shooting teams in the Big Ten and in the country.

Their extremely fast pace of play should allow them to take a large volume of shots, which hopefully can be high-quality looks when pushing the ball in transition.

More From Michigan On SI:

• Michigan football earns another projection saying it will land the state’s No. 2 recruit
• Michigan's College Football Playoff chances continue to plummet entering Week 12
• Michigan football vs. Northwestern betting line, odds Wolverines win the game
• Joel Klatt says Michigan football is battling two major problems with 3 games left