Michigan guard Mike Smith brings the ball up court in the second half against Bowling Green on Wednesday in Ann Arbor. (AP photo)

ANN ARBOR — Mike Smith started and made his presence felt right away. Chaundee Brown came off the bench and eventually led Michigan in scoring.

These two transfers certainly look ready to contribute.

Brown scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half and Smith had 16 points and eight assists to lift the 25th-ranked Wolverines over Bowling Green 96-82 on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams.

“We knew that we wanted to come in and help this team. We knew they were really good last year,” Brown said. “Coach (Juwan) Howard recruited us for a reason.”

Isaiah Livers added 17 points for Michigan. The Wolverines never trailed, although it took until the latter part of the second half for them to really put the Falcons away.

Justin Turner led Bowling Green with 24 points.

Michigan was warming up for a Big Ten Tournament game in March when the season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. After Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske graduated, the Wolverines’ roster is now a blend of old and new. Livers and Franz Wagner are key holdovers, and Michigan welcomes a handful of transfers and promising freshmen.

Brown and Smith transferred in from Wake Forest and Columbia, respectively.