Michigan @ Louisiana State preview

LSU begins play in the Maui Invitational on Monday against Michigan at the Lahaina Civic Center, but don't expect the Tigers to be spending much time on the beach. While LSU has averaged 102 points in wins over Alcorn State and Sanford, first-year coach Will Wade said there’s plenty of room for improvement on the defensive end.

Guards Brandon Sampson and Skylar Mays scored 20 points apiece in Thursday’s 105-86 win over Samford, but Wade was none too pleased after the Tigers allowed a total of 15 three-pointers and 58 points in the second half. “I’m really, really disappointed with our point-of-attack defense, our ball-screen defense, the amount of threes we gave up,” Wade told reporters. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team give up 58 points in a half. That was just embarrassing. If that doesn’t improve, it’s going to be a long trip out West.” The Tigers will aim for a more complete effort against Michigan, which has opened with wins over North Florida, Central Michigan and Southern Miss. Four players are averaging in double figures for the Wolverines, including senior wing Duncan Robinson, who scored 12 points on four 3-pointers in Thursday’s 61-47 win over Southern Miss.

TV: 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT MICHIGAN (3-0): The Wolverines received a surprising spark against Southern Miss from center Jon Teske, a 7-1, 255-pound sophomore who recorded his first career double-double with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting and 11 rebounds. Coach John Beilein is holding open auditions at point guard, where sophomore Zavier Simpson, graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons and freshman Eli Brooks are each sharing playing time before Big Ten action begins. The promising backcourt also features senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who is averaging 12 points, 3.7 rebounds and three assists.

ABOUT LSU (2-0): Guard Tremont Waters, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week after scoring 27 points in the season opener against Akron, was limited by an ankle injury in the win over Samford and finished with five points and eight assists in 27 minutes. Wade is also bullish on Sampson, a 6-5 junior guard who had a career-best seven assists in Thursday’s victory. LSU’s frontcourt is led by 6-11 senior Duop Reath and 6-10 senior Aaron Epps, who missed the season opener due to a foot injury but scored eight points in 10 minutes against Samford.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan has shot 51.1 percent in the second half of its first three games compared to 41.2 percent in the first half.

2. LSU is 23-9 in the month of November since the start of the 2012-13 season.

3. Michigan is 61-3 when scoring at least 80 points under Beilein.

PREDICTION: Michigan 77, LSU 66