The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531518
FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 65 I n his debut campaign in Ann Arbor, Michigan men's basketball head coach Dusty May has elevated the Wolverines from their second-worst season in program history to Big Ten title contention. The Maize and Blue are 13-3 and a perfect 5-0 in the conference with two of their toughest road league games behind them. Given their record and that they are among the top 10 na- tionally in KenPom (10th) and T-Rank (eighth), the Wolverines currently are projected to win the Big Ten. May's turnaround of this Michigan program has accelerated because he overhauled the roster with incoming transfers, while retaining key incum- bents who can let the ball fly from the field. Michigan is the best-shooting team in the country. The Wolverines are first in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) at 60.4 percent and nearly a whole percentage point higher than second place. At this pace, they would own the second-best eFG% of any team in KenPom's database, which dates back to 1996-97. Only 2020-21 Gon- zaga, which was a perfect 30-0 until falling in the national title game, has finished with a higher eFG% (61.0). It is more likely that U-M's eFG% tapers off against tougher Big Ten defenses the rest of the year, but U-M is scorching the nets. The Maize and Blue are tickling the twine like this for three primary rea- sons. First and most important is May's analytical offensive approach. In the last decade, there has been a movement to avoid midrange jumpers. The theory is, if a player is not going to shoot near the rim, he may as well attempt a three to get the extra point. Looking at U-M's shot chart, May undoubtedly has taken this to heart. The Wolverines have the 12th-lowest share of far twos in Division I basket- ball and the lowest in the major confer- ences (11.3 percent). They stay away from shorter jumpers and instead focus on getting into the paint to finish at the rim or kick out for a three. Even point guard Tre Donaldson, who is 6-foot-3, has 55 shots at the tin versus only 19 midrange tries. T h i s h a s u n e q u i v o c a l l y w o r k e d though because, in addition to hold- ing the highest eFG% overall, Michigan also is the best two-point shooting club in the country. The Wolverines have converted 63.3 percent of their shots inside the arc. This is much easier to do when players are trying to finish shots from within a couple of feet rather than jacking up inefficient jump shots. This leads to the second reason for Michigan's elite shooting: its play- ers' ability to make buckets around the rim. As easy as it is to say that a team should concentrate on making layups and dunks, it is not always so easy to do that around the trees and their gangly arms swaying around the backboard. May found a great solution to this problem by bringing in two giant trees of his own in 7-foot-1 center Vlad Goldin from Florida Atlantic and 7-foot power forward Danny Wolf from Yale. Goldin's presence around the rim was well-established. He is a traditional center and force near the bucket. He made 67.3 percent of his deuces and 72 percent of his close twos last season and has upped those percentages to 69.6 and 74, respectively, this year. Wolf, though, has been a revelation. Consid- ered more of a stretch threat, Wolf has transformed into an all-around sensa- tion, including his scoring down low. Last year in the Ivy League, he barely made half of his twos (50.7 percent). This year, he's made 67.4 percent of them and 73.7 percent of his close ones. U-M's twin towers lead the way down low, while others like wings Will Tschetter (81.8 percent on close twos) and Roddy Gayle, Jr. (68.1) and guard Nimari Burnett (66.7) are contribut- ing, too. The third reason is Michigan's snip- ing from downtown to complement its scoring down low. The Wolverines are 33rd in three-point shooting, drilling 37.8 percent of their triples. Burnett (50.7) and Donaldson (43.7) have been absolute flamethrowers from deep, but defenses have had difficulties defend- ing the perimeter because there are many Wolverines who can shoot from distance. Wolf, Tschetter and wing Sam Wal- ters have all made at least 15 triples so far at a clip of at least 34.8 percent, and even Goldin can catch defenses off guard (5-of-8). There is no single, sim- ple way to lock down the arc without risking allowing a layup line. As such, the Wolverines have one of the nation's most electrifying offenses with their fast-paced tempo. They can bury opponents in buckets in a hurry and look unstoppable in those mo- ments. They are still only 13th in ad- justed offensive efficiency because they are too loose with the basketball (328th in turnover percentage), but if they can stay in control, May could have them shooting their way to a banner. ❑ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT U-M's Shooting Is Title Worthy Head coach Dusty May's squad has been shooting with laser-like efficiency this season. Through mid-January, the Wolverines ranked first nationally in effective field goal percent- age at 60.4 percent — nearly a whole percent- age point higher than second place. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett.