Column: Could Michigan be better with more Will Tschetter?
Michigan head man Juwan Howard is still working on finding winning combinations with only 6 Big Ten games to go. The 4th-year coach has experimented with different lineups, gone deep into his bench a few times, and tried different things.
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One that’s worked a lot, and that he might want to go to more — playing Will Tschetter. The redshirt freshman forward is still foul prone and has more to give offensively (which should come with confidence — he was a 3,000-point scorer in high school, after all), but there’s one thing that stands out about his time on the floor …
When he’s in the game, his team usually excels.
That was the case at Stewartville in Minnesota, and it’s been the case much of the season this year. Though plus/minus isn’t always an accurate indicator in a specific game — how the team fares points-wise when you’re on the floor – it’s a trend when it happens multiple times.
In short, it doesn’t seem to be an accident that good things happen when Tschetter is on the floor. He finished with a team-best plus-8 in a Saturday loss to Indiana in only 6 minutes, and it would have been more if not for a lousy charge call on what should have been an and-one opportunity.
His teammates notice what he’s doing.
“They trust him, and they see all the hard work he’s put in,” Howard said after a Jan. 22, 60-56 win over Minnesota in which the redshirt frosh scored 4 points and finished plus-8 in only 15 minutes.
He added, “and he’s just scratching the surface, too,” after a win over Northwestern in which he was also in the positive.
In addition, Tschetter is going to get even better as he becomes more comfortable. He was a team-leading plus-3 in only 11 minutes in a loss at Iowa, scoring 7 points. Again, he’s almost always on the positive side when he’s in the game, including plus-five in 12 minutes in a win over Nebraska.
The exception came in a 75-70 loss to Purdue. Tschetter was out there with a new lineup, including guys who hadn’t played much and struggled mightily.
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To be clear, there’s plenty he needs to improve upon, too. He fouls too much, and he’s not the fleetest of foot, struggling to stay in front of his man at times. But his communication has gotten better on the defensive end, too, and he’s progressing.
Tschetter could also be an option to stretch the floor offensively when he becomes more comfortable. Though currently only 27.3 percent from long range — some of that in mop-up duty — he’s an outstanding shooter at his size and should continue to improve there.
“Whether it’s practice, the bench, or when I do get my opportunity in the game, you just need to be ready at all times,” Tschetter said.
He should be a valuable piece in future years, too, while he continues to get comfortable.
“This is his, you could say, freshman year, but we trust that when Will comes in the game, he’s going to give us that life that we need,” Howard said, citing junior Jace Howard, frosh Tarris Reed, and others.
But Tschetter is the guy that seems to make his team better every time he’s on the floor. He could be a spark the Wolverines need in their now desperate attempt at a run toward the NCAA Tournament if he gets the opportunity.
