The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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62 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2025 T he 18-team Big Ten standings are a mess. Pull them up on your com- puter, and you have to either zoom out or scroll down to see the entire thing. Michigan fans don't have to scroll to see the block "M," though, with first-year head coach Dusty May's team standing atop the conference at 5-0, tied with in- state foe Michigan State through Jan. 13. It's early, but Michigan is the favorite to win the league at +195 odds on FanDuel — followed by the Spartans (+270), Illi- nois (+400) and Purdue (+550) — and the two 7-foot big men are a big reason why. Junior Danny Wolf (12.4 points, 10.1 re- bounds per game) and graduate Vladislav Goldin (15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds) were expected to be a dynamic duo, but this is beyond that. Wolf has turned into one of U-M's pri- mary ball handlers to the point that, at his size, he's become a potential first-round NBA Draft prospect. His 24.3 percent assist rate ranks 14th in the Big Ten, the highest among players taller than 6-foot- 6. The "4-5" ball screen with the 7-foot-1 Goldin has been lethal, but there was a time the Wolverines scrapped the idea after experimenting in the summer. May and Co. circled back to it, and its effec- tiveness has risen immensely. "They were both in the gym [one day after the Wake Forest loss in November]," May said. "I think we pulled [freshman guard] Phat Phat [Brooks] and [graduate guard] Jace [Howard] or whoever together and formed a group. "We said, 'All right, let's find some rhythm. Let's really look at this when the stakes aren't high and the intensity isn't escalated, and let's see how we can play off each other better.' So, it started from that moment, and it's turned into some- thing that's continued to grow." As of Jan. 7, Wolf was generating 1.147 points per possession on ball screens (in- cluding passes), placing him in the 90th percentile in the country. Goldin has been on the receiving end of a lot of those ac- tions, and he's been a great finisher, con- necting on 70.7 percent of his two-point field goal attempts. It's worked out a lot better than most expected, with that work paying off. It's made Michigan extremely difficult to prepare for, too. Opponents can watch as much film as they want, but they can't simulate in practice what it'll be like going up against the Wolf-Goldin tandem. "We stuck with it, and here we are," Wolf said. "But there's still so much more that we can prove and get better at — and I'm just excited for what's to come." So are Michigan fans, who are packing Crisler every night now. 'NOT MICHIGAN'S STANDARD' Michigan became the only football program to beat Alabama twice in one calendar year with a 19-13 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl Dec. 31. The Wolver- ines celebrated on the Raymond James Stadium field in Tampa, with head coach Sherrone Moore putting on the "Turn- over Buffs" sunglasses while accepting the trophy on stage. The Maize and Blue were all smiles, but they weren't satisfied after concluding the year with an 8-5 record. "It's a good season, but it's not Michi- gan's standard," said freshman running back Jordan Marshall, who rushed for a career-high 100 yards after entering the game with 8 career carries. "We've got to get it back to the standard, which is bring- ing national championships back here. And like I told [quarterback signee] Bryce [Underwood] right when we walked into the locker room, 'This isn't happening again. We're playing for the 'ship. We're playing for the whole thing — the natty. That's what we want.'" Michigan beat USC, Ohio State and Alabama in the same season — we're not sure any team has ever done that. The Wolverines won all their trophy and ri- valry games. The point Marshall is making is impor- tant. The 2024 campaign is a fine one as a one-off. If something like this is a "down" year, then Michigan will be just fine and competing for titles regularly. That's a great place to be. Context is also key, though. It's impres- sive how Michigan ended the year; after entering its second bye week 5-5, it won its last three games, over Northwestern, Ohio State and Alabama. The culture that stayed strong throughout a roller coaster of a year can be credited for a large part of that success. "Sometimes, it gets tested," senior fullback/tight end Max Bredeson said. "Sometimes, you really feel it kind of bending, and it goes right back to what it was. That's how important culture is, and that's when you really find out what it's about." What comes first, great culture or winning? That's an age-old question that might be impossible to answer. But Bredeson — who's returning as a lock to be a two-time captain in 2025 — believes it's even more important when times are tough. The 2024 Wolverines didn't quit. They banded together and played like heroes during their last three games. For that, they should be proud and remem- bered fondly. ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Big Men Lead Big Ten Favorite Danny Wolf (above) and Vlad Goldin comprise U-M's tandem of 7-footers who run a unique 4-5 ball-screen action that opponents have found difficult to simulate or defend. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.