Michigan Basketball’s Bet on Going Big
What does it take to rebuild a program? In this modern era of college basketball, there are a couple of things that an organization can do. The first is to hire a new coach, the second is to acquire skilled players via the transfer portal, and the third step is to find a style of play that best fits those players. Michigan Men’s Basketball has checked off all three this season.
Following last year's lows, finishing dead last in conference play with a record of 3-17. Michigan fired head coach and former Fab Five star Juwan Howard. Replacing him with Dusty May of FAU Cinderella story fame. This marked his first stop as a power five head coach. Upon his arrival in the cold north following his departure from sunny southern Florida, May immediately brought with him seven-foot center Vlad Goldin from FAU, along with six total transfers. This includes fellow seven-footer Danny Wolf, who primarily played more of a traditional center role in his previous life in the Ivy League. Combined, this dynamic duo is averaging over 28 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Wolverines to 14-5 on the year plus 6-2 in the Big Ten.
By going big, Michigan has run counter to the wider trend in college basketball of going smaller, faster, and spreading the floor. However, starting two seven-footers does not mean they are sacrificing speed or floor spacing. Danny Wolf is more than capable on-ball and can put up the occasional shot behind the arc. This combines with Goldin holding his own down low, being ultra-efficient in the paint, and more than willing to kick it out.
However, the increased size and physicality this season hit a wall up against the Purdue Boilermakers. As they were blown out Friday night, January 24th, by a score of 91-64. How this Michigan team recovers and bounces back will determine how the rest of this season goes. If they’re able to keep up their physicality on both offense and defense, as well as keep their ball movement, they have a chance to make a run at a Big Ten Championship as well as make some noise come March. Until then, there’s another month left in the regular season. Let’s see if the Wolverines can get back on track.
