UNDATED (AP) — Michigan is preparing to take possible legal action if the Big Ten punishes the football program before a full investigation of allegations of an impermissible scouting and sign-stealing scheme orchestrated by a low-level staffer. A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press about Michigan’s plans but did not provide details.Michigan has been given notification of potential disciplinary action from the conference. The Big Ten gave the school until this week to respond.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Oliver Nkamhoua scored 25 points and Dug McDaniel scored a career-high 22 points and Michigan beat UNC Asheville 99-74 in a season-opening matchup. McDaniel distributed eight assists, one of which was an approximately 50-foot lob to Nkamhoua which he caught from outside the key and threw down with both hands. With a 67-40 lead, Nkamhoua went on his own 6-0 run wrapping two dunks around a jumper. Drew Pember scored 19 points for the Bulldogs, Banks 18 and reserve Evan Johnson 12.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Payton Sandfort scored 21 points and five other Iowa players reached double figures as the Hawkeyes beat North Dakota 110-68 in a season-opening matchup. Ben Krikke scored 18, reserve Owen Freeman scored 14 points, Dasonte Bowen 12 and Patrick McCaffery 11 for Iowa. The Hawkeyes shot 12 for 24 from 3-point range and 53.3% overall (40 for 75). Freeman, a freshman, made 7 of 8. B.J. Omot scored 24 points for North Dakota.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Julian Reese scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Maryland to a 68-53 victory over Mount St. Mary’s in the season opener for both teams. Reese, a junior forward and Baltimore native, shot 8 of 11 from the floor and blocked two shots. DeShawn Harris-Smith, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard, scored 10 first-half points and finished with 12 in his Maryland debut. Jahmir Young scored 12 points. Maryland’s 47-game win streak in home openers is the third-longest active streak nationally dating to the 1977-78 season. Josh Reaves scored 10 points for Mount. St. Mary’s.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Joe Taylor may not be a name you know on Michigan’s football roster. The second-ranked Wolverines are well the the contributions made by the walk-on and many other players that pay for their tuition, room, board and books. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says you can’t put a value on that on the contributions walk-ons make for the team. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska are among the Big Ten schools that lean on players who are not on scholarship.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Trey Galloway scored 16 points, Kel’el Ware had 13 points and 12 rebounds in his Indiana debut, and the Hoosiers beat Florida Gulf Coast 69-63 in a season opener for both teams. Indiana trailed 48-42 midway through the second half before scoring 14 straight points. Malik Reneau started the run with a three-point play and he capped it with two more free throws to make it 56-48. Xavier Johnson made 1 of 2 at the free-throw line with 28.2 seconds left to extend Indiana’s lead to 66-63. FGCU had a good look at a 3-pointer from the corner, but Chase Johnston’s 3-pointer hit off the rim and the Eagles were called for a foul battling for the rebound. Johnson sealed it with two free throws.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Senior guard Genesis Bryant scored a career-high 32 points and Kendall Bostic had a double-double and 23rd-ranked Illinois beat Morehead State 81-61 in a season opening matchup. Illinois established a 13-2 lead when Bostic made a pair of layups, Bryant and Adalia McKenzie each had one, Jada Peebles made a jump shot and Brynn Shoup-Hill made a 3-pointerIllinois finished the first quarter up 20-11 shooting 9 for 18 overall and never trailed. Veronica Charles scored 16 points for Moorehead State.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Dartmouth opened its men’s basketball season with Monday night’s loss at No. 2 Duke. That comes roughly two months after players began an attempt to unionize. Captains Romeo Myrthil and Robert McRae III said the team has kept basketball as its focus with the unionization effort to the side. College conferences and schools have opposed efforts to pursue unionization for college athletes, arguing it would fundamentally change the way college sports operate if athletes are considered employees. Myrthil and McRae spoke after the Duke loss. Previously the team had released a statement to Dartmouth’s student newspaper.
