Dusty May on Michigan guards: ‘We need them … or we’re not going to play much longer’

Michigan basketball started the Big Ten season playing with confidence and cohesion, making shots and seemingly enjoying themselves. The Wolverines have looked like a different team in the last several weeks, struggling to make shots, turning the ball over too much, and not getting enough from the perimeter players to finish the regular season strong. 

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Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf both made All-Big Ten teams (first and second, respectively) announced Tuesday. Beyond that, though, the Michigan starters and backups seemed to limp to the finish. They’ll need to be better if the Wolverines are going to make a run in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, head coach Dusty May said Monday. He also believes they have it in them.

“We make sure that they know that that we believe in them, and we haven’t lost faith,” May said. “We know what type of players they are, and thinking back to the good moments and just to stay fresh … what they were doing to help your team win, but also letting them know you don’t have to come out and score 30 to help this team win. Just make a hustle play, maybe get an offensive rebound …

“The Wisconsin game, a lot of people talk about the 4 – 5 (pick and roll). That was the game where Vlad and Danny found a real rhythm together, and the thing that jumps out in our staff’s minds are Roddy Gayle’s verticality late in that game to save a big, big basket. Those are the moments that you’ve got to hang your hat on when the shot’s not going in. There are so many ways in basketball to impact the game other than making shots and whatnot.”

Defensive rebounding, too, and being where you’re supposed to be on defense … those are the little things that become big things in the postseason, when teams are evenly matched. Sunday at Michigan State, for example, the Wolverines ripped off 14 straight points and had momentum when a bad rotation left MSU’s Jase Richardson open for an easy triple, ending the run. 

The guards have to be better rebounders, too, along with the obvious need to make shots and better handle pressure. It will help to get Rubin Jones back healthy — the ball was moving better on offense when he was starting and not bogged down by illness — but Tre Donaldson needs to return to form if Michigan is going to have any shot at a run. 

May, though, stopped short of saying his team’s postseason fate rested on his backcourt players. 

“I think teams rise and fall with good play [period],” he said. “I think back to the best runs I’ve been on — there have been games when the big men had monster games, and there are games when the guards took over. But playing good, solid team basketball and on the floor, whether it’s your point guard or your power forward, just getting really good sound leadership on the court is important this time of year.

“I don’t want to put that pressure on, ‘if we lose, it’s because of our guards,’ or ‘if we win, it’s because of our guards.’ We need to play much better as a unit, and if we keep advancing and play many, many more games, it’s going to be because we had good guard play and we had good, good play up front.”

But if Goldin and Wolf get theirs, as they have most of the year, it is going to come down to backcourt play. The struggles there prevented the Wolverines from winning a Big Ten title, and it’s been a while since we saw an outstanding game from a guard or wing. 

May insisted they still have what it takes to propel this team to a ceiling he believes they haven’t come close to reaching yet. Now, of course, would be a good time.

“Just letting those guys know that there’s that that they have a big role in this team, and we believe in them and we need them,” he said. “Because if they don’t, then, then we’re not going to play very much longer. Our success is dependent upon them having a big role on this team.”