With March madness around the corner, Joe Lunardi dropping his bracketology weekly, big-time matchups including rivalries occurring, and bubble teams trying to find a way to sneak into the big dance, I will start doing weekly team overviews before the tournament.
Picture via Detriot Free Press
Team 1: #20 Michigan Wolverines
Current record: 18-5 Overall, 10-2 in Big Ten Conference play
Kenpom ranking: 20
Key wins: Xavier 78-53, at #16 Wisconsin 67-64, at UCLA 94-75, Oregon 80-76, at Indiana 70-67
The Wolverines are back and they are HOT. After an 8-24 overall season last year, missing the tournament two years in a row, and firing former Fab Five player, Juwan Howard, they had to find a new leader to lead the program. Let me tell you, they didn’t just find a leader, they found a diamond in the rough.
Head Coach: Dusty May
If there was anyone in the country you would want coaching your team, Dusty May is that guy. After leading FAU to a final four appearance two years ago, the Wolverines found their guy. Dusty takes a fast-paced approach to offense using many ball screens and letting the ball flow through the offense. With this offense, Michigan has flashed at times but has also had trouble with turnovers, averaging 14.4 turnovers per game. Recently, Michigan has shut down its turnovers and played a more efficient style of basketball while still using the fast-paced offense approach.
Key Stats
PPG: 81.7
3FGM/G: 9.3
FTM/G: 15.4
RPG: 35.0
FG%: 49.2
APG: 17.3
TPG: 14.4
SPG: 5.9
Player overview
The Wolverines aren’t just 18-5 because of Dusty May, but also the players he has brought in and persuaded to stay in the program. After the departures of key players such as Dug Mcdaniel, Terrence Williams, and Tarris Reed, Dusty was left to search for a new team. This is what they look like
- Tre Donaldson-13.0 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.5 RPG: Auburn Transfer
- Rubin Jones-3.2 PPG, 1.3 APG, 2.5 RPG: North Texas Transfer
- Nimari Burnett-10.1 PPG, 1.6 APG, 3.6 RPG: Michigan
- Danny Wolf-12.7 PPG, 3.7 APG, 10.0 RPG: Yale Transfer
- Vladislav Goldin-15.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 6.0 RPG: FAU Transfer
- Roddy Gayle-10.7 PPG, 2.8 APG, 3.4 RPG: Auburn Transfer
- Will Tschetter- 6.9 PPG, 0.7 APG, 2.3 RPG: Michigan
- Justin Pippen-1.7 PPG, 0.7 APG, 0.6 RPG: Freshman
- Sam Walters-5.0 PPG, 0.6 APG, 1.6 RPG: Alabama Transfer
- LJ Cason- 4.3 PPG, 0.9 APG, 1.6 RPG: Freshman
Roles
Tre Donaldson-scorer, key energy player, good on-ball defender
Rubin Jones-key defender plays his role great
Nimari Burnett-one of if not the best on-ball defenders in the big ten, a great three-point shooter, sneaky athletic
Danny Wolf– Do it all
Vladislav Goldin-imposing big, good defense, energy dunks
Roddy Gayle– great scorer, very athletic, good defense
Will Tschetter– Michigan’s GLUE guy
Justin Pippen-Great defender, great off the bench, decent scorer
Sam Walters-Three point specialist
LJ Cason- Amazing scorer, will be a great future piece
Jace Howard-GLUE guy
Harrison Hochberg- GLUE guy
This group has clicked so well, from the Danny-Vlad pick and roll to Tre Donaldson’s clutch performances, the Wolverines are inching closer to their title hopes by the day. This team is so well put together and poses for a deep run in March.
Key matchups coming up: Vs #7 Purdue, at Ohio State, vs #11 Michigan State, at Nebraska, Vs Illinois, Vs #25 Maryland, at #11 Michigan State.