 Michigan began the regular season on November 8 with a 69 – 42 victory against UMass Lowell. Several returning players set (or tied) career highs, and six freshman saw their first action. The game followed a ceremony in which the team raised a banner to the rafters to celebrate its 2013 NCAA tournament regional championship and national runner-up finish. On November 12, against South Carolina State, Michigan opened a 59 – 23 lead at halftime by making 12 of 19 three-point attempts and won 93 – 59. Stauskas and LeVert set career highs in points, combining to make 11 of 13 from the three-point line, and Horford added a career-high 15 rebounds. After missing the preseason and first two regular season games, Mitch McGary returned to play against Iowa State on November 17 (posting nine points, six rebounds and four steals) as Michigan lost its first game of the season 77 – 70. The Wolverines defeated Long Beach State in the first round of the 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-Off on November 21, as Michigan set a tournament record by making 14 three-point shots. The next day (against Florida State in the semifinals), Michigan was behind by 10 points at halftime, 16 points with 17: 16 remaining and 63 – 54 with a few minutes left before winning 82 – 80 in overtime. In the final four minutes, Michigan used a 1-3-1 zone to force five turnovers during a 13 – 5 spurt to make up a 64 – 56 deficit. On November 24, the team lost the championship game to Charlotte on a last second tip-in; although Stauskas was the tournament's MVP, the team fell to 0 – 2 all-time against Charlotte. During the game, "Caris LeVert missed most of the first half in foul trouble. Glenn Robinson III missed the final 30 minutes with a back injury after taking a tough first-half fall, and Nik Stauskas ... played the final 9 ½ minutes with a twisted ankle." Leading scorer Stauskas sat out the November 29 game against Coppin State, but with 24 points from freshman Zak Irvin Michigan won 87 – 45; McGary and Morgan made their first starts of the season. Irvin's performance was recognized on December 2, when he was the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week.
