The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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game in the non-conference slate and offered on his own the news that he's going to have to earn a fifth year of eligibility if he's to get one down the road. As it turns out, Donnal's backhoe proved the onset of the Big Ten sea- son. Ever since conference play rolled around, the third-year Wolverine has played the role of an unexpected free agent pick-up. He ranked second on the team through the first five games of league play, averaging 13.0 points per Big Ten game, while leading U-M in rebound- ing (7.8 per game). He's someone Michigan's coaches have needed to push in order to achieve higher pro- duction, but it's coming. "Donnal sat a lot last year," Beilein said during an appearance on The Huge Show with radio host Bill Si- monson. "That fire has to be lit all the time. At this level, you've got to get better in practice so you're ready in the game. You've got to have the same work habits every day and play with some swag, too. "That's what he's doing now. We all need that, but some young men need that more because they are sort of gentle giants. You can't survive in this league being a gentle giant." Some annually wonder whether the Wolverines can survive with an out- side-in attack and a host of three-point shooters in an often bang-and-board league. Two Big Ten championships, an NCAA title game appearance and an Elite Eight follow-up over the past five years ought to be a pretty good indication. Still, Michigan has to prove itself at times against the "look test," espe- cially when teams like Purdue and Maryland are trotting out a host of front-liners from 6-9 to 7-2. The Wolverines do what they do very well, on an ongoing ba- sis. Through Jan. 17, they remained second in the Big Ten in three-point shooting (42.2 percent) and third in turnover margin (plus-2.4). "There are two things they do every game," McCormick said. "They shoot a lot of threes, usually making a high percentage — 40 percent is great as a team. "Then they value the ball, and they get good shots. They really are a low- turnover, high-efficiency team." OTHER WORRIES CROPPING UP Beilein's crew still has a lot to work out, as the season goes along. At the top of the list, LeVert's return to a high level of effectiveness stands out. There are other issues as well. Get- ting consistent play out of the big men beyond Donnal has become a focal point, with the backup post play- ers — sophomore Ricky Doyle, true freshman Moritz Wagner and redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson — averaging a combined 4.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game since the start of Big Ten play. Sophomore wing Aubrey Dawkins appeared to take a step back when Robinson leaped forward. Dawkins, who looked like a budding star as a true freshman, is still adjusting to coming off Michigan's bench, averag- ing 17.3 minutes, 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.