Anonymous Big Ten coach weighs in on Michigan basketball: 'They're not all on the same page'
Michigan Wolverines basketball has been one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball this season, with a 14-12 record after ranking No. 22 in the preseason AP poll and making five-straight Sweet 16 appearances in the seasons leading up.
Speaking to The Athletic‘s Seth Davis for a Feb. 6 article, an anonymous coach weighed in on the Wolverines, giving his take on what the issues have been.
“Man, I don’t know what to think about Michigan,” the coach said. “They have good talent, but they’re not all on the same page.”
The talent starts with junior center Hunter Dickinson, a 2021 second-team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten selection. Freshman guard Jett Howard is also a big-time offensive talent, averaging 14.6 points per game and nailing 68 three-pointers on the season, just nine shy of entering the top 10 of Michigan’s record book in three-point field goal makes for a season.
“They have two dominant scorers in Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard, but they don’t play off each other very well,” the coach said. “Sometimes Dickinson has really low field-goal attempts, which makes no sense. You can take him out of the game by doubling him because he’s such a willing passer.”
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Perhaps Dickinson doesn’t have the help around him that he needs. He and the Michigan offense (and defense) thrived in 2020-21, when the Wolverines won the Big Ten outright and made the Elite Eight, despite being short-handed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Maize and Blue have six players who were top-100 recruits, per the On3 Consensus. Meanwhile, they have lost 10 games by two possessions or less or in overtime, including the last two, against Indiana and Wisconsin. The Badgers, it’s worth noting, don’t have a single player who was a top-100 recruit.
The whole not equalling the sum of its parts has been frustrating for Michigan fans to see.
Youth certainly plays a factor. Michigan has seven scholarship players who saw their first collegiate minutes this season (six freshmen and one redshirt freshman). Per Kenpom, the Wolverines are the 308th oldest team in Division I.
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A key injury hurt, as well. Michigan graduate point guard Jaelin Llewellyn, a Princeton transfer who started 76 career contests in the Ivy League, went down with a season-ending ACL injury Dec. 4 against Kentucky. That thrust freshman point guard Dug McDaniel into the lineup. Instead of playing less than 10 minutes per game, he’s been on the floor for more then 30 minutes each night.
“Losing Jaelin Llewelyn really hurt them,” the anonymous coach said. “They miss having that older veteran as a point guard.”
Michigan junior forward Terrance Williams II has taken a step back with an increased role, too. He was the Wolverines’ leading returning player in three-point field goal percentage (38.5) coming into the season but is just 17-of-62 (27.4 percent) from range this season. He’s averaging 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
“They’re not getting much out of the four spot right now with Terrance Williams II,” the coach said.
Overall, whatever Michigan has tried hasn’t worked, and the Wolverines are on track to miss their first NCAA Tournament since 2015.
“They throw some fake zone at you to keep you off balance,” the anonymous staffer said. “Jett’s really good offensively, but he’s either not a capable defender or he’s not willing, so you can take advantage of that.”
