Burke leads No. 2 U-M past CMU, 88-73

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Trey Burke had 22 points and 10 assists as No. 2 Michigan finished its non-conference schedule with a 88-73 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday night.

Michigan played without junior Tim Hardaway Jr. who missed the first game of his career with an ankle injury. That meant the Wolverines started three freshmen -- Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III and Caris LeVert -- along with Burke and Jordan Morgan.

Robinson had 20 points, while Stauskas finished with 19 for Michigan (13-0), which is off to the second-best start in school history. The 1985-86 Wolverines team, led by Gary Grant, Roy Tarpley and Glen Rice, started the season 16-0 on its way to a Big Ten championship.

Central Michigan was hoping to match the success of its football team, which won the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Wednesday, but never recovered from falling behind by seven points in the first three minutes. Olivier Mbaigoto led the Chippewas with 14 points.

The Chippewas (7-6) came into the game having won two of their last four meetings with the Wolverines -- in 2002 and 2007 -- but they were quickly overwhelmed by Michigan's offense. Burke scored 14 points in the first nine minutes, and Michigan led 46-29 at the half.

The Wolverines cruised through a second half that was highlighted by Stauskas hitting five straight 3-pointers and Robinson's spectacular dunk in traffic. The only lowlight for Michigan was when McGary came up short on a dunk and fell down, and even that brought laughter from his teammates.

The Wolverines begin Big Ten play Thursday at Northwestern, while Central Michigan plays an exhibition game with Michigan-Dearborn before beginning Mid-American Conference play on Jan. 9 against Bowling Green.