The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three Best Players 1. Junior center Hunter Dickinson The 7-foot-1, 260-pounder carried Michigan down the stretch of the season, averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field over the last six contests. His game-tying buzzer beater to send the Feb. 26 Wisconsin game into overtime (an eventual 87-79 win for U-M) was the highlight. The third-year standout from Alexandria, Va., was recognized as first-team All-Big Ten by the media and landed on the coaches' second team, showing how important he was to the Wolverines. 2. Sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder missed the team's final NIT game at Vanderbilt with an ankle injury but was an instrumental piece on both ends of the floor all season long, increasingly so as the campaign progressed. He exploded for 20-plus point outings in three of his last five games, and he totaled 14 assists in his last three appear- ances. Bufkin struggled in Michigan's 62-50 loss to Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament, shooting just 3-of-8 and turning the ball over 7 times, but he was stellar otherwise. He finished the season with three straight performances of at least 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. 3. Freshman guard Dug McDaniel McDaniel's offense was hit or miss, but Michi- gan's offense was at another level when he was making shots. The Wolverines finished the sea- son 9-4 when McDaniel scored in double figures, and he hit that threshold in six of the team's last eight games. He shot 44.4 percent on three- pointers and 42.5 percent on twos in the last seven contests. Key Moment Michigan held an eight-point edge over Vander- bilt with less than a minute to play, before blow- ing the lead and trailing by one in a matter of just 46 seconds. Three Michigan turnovers — two by junior forward Terrance Williams II and one from freshman guard Dug McDaniel — keyed the Vanderbilt comeback, which didn't even include any fouling. The Wolverines were without much guard depth, thrusting Williams into a backcourt role, but it was still a stunning collapse. The 66-65 loss ended the Wolverines' season and marked the team's eighth setback by one possession and/ or in overtime on the year. Best Highlight Michigan kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive Feb. 26, thanks to some magic from junior center Hunter Dickinson. The Wolverines trailed Wisconsin 68-65 with 2.1 seconds on the game clock. Junior forward Terrance Williams II in- bounded from the corner by the Michigan bench, an odd angle, and lofted a pass to Dickinson, who tipped the ball to himself, turned around and heaved a 30-foot shot that tied the score as the buzzer sounded. That sent Crisler Center into a frenzy, and Michigan wound up dominating the overtime period 19-11 in the crucial victory. Bold Prediction Both of Michigan's transfers, graduate guards Jaelin Llewellyn and Joey Baker, will return for next season, we'll predict. Llewellyn can get a medical redshirt, after he suffered a season- ending ACL injury Dec. 4, and Baker is appealing for one more season of eligibility. The latter's situation is more complicated, with Baker having played in four games, totaling 18 minutes, as a freshman at Duke in 2018-19. He was thrust into action late in the year, though, due to the Blue Devils battling an injury to star forward Zion Wil- liamson. That unique situation — that seemed avoidable, quite frankly — will be reason for the NCAA to grant Baker's wish of another season, we believe. At the least, Llewellyn will compete for the starting point guard job and add backcourt depth. Baker, who shot 39.1 percent on 110 three-point attempts this past season, will give the Wolver- ines outside shooting. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For U-M's Seven Games From Feb. 23 To March 18 Sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin finished as the team's third-leading scorer with 14.0 points per game in his sophomore season. He started 33 of 34 games, only missing the finale at Vanderbilt with an ankle injury. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL