Michigan guards make the most of an opportunity in win at Minnesota
Some players relish opportunity when adversity strikes — some shy away from it. Michigan freshman Dug McDaniel grabbed it and ran with it when his teammate, Jaelin Llewellyn, went down with a season ending knee injury, seizing the moment in a 90-75 win at Minnesota.
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Right next to him, sophomore Kobe Bufkin played the part of a confident complement to McDaniel — almost a swagger while he hunted shots. And for the old timers, McDaniel looked like Rickey Green with how fast he pushed the ball up the floor on his way to 15 points and 7 assists, even making all three of his triples.
He shot them with confidence, a mindset he brought with him into the game. He let head coach Juwan Howard know he was ready for the challenge in a pregame text.
“I told him I’m locked in,” McDaniel said. “I’m ready to step up and do whatever he needs me to do.”
And was he ever. He added three steals, and he looked like he was made for the moment. What was expected to be dicey (point guard play) instead looked like a team strength.
He also said all the right things in the postgame in further endearing himself to his teammates.
Some guys shrivel when put into the spotlight. Others thrive knowing they have no option but to produce for their teammates. It became clear early that McDaniel viewed it as his time to step up for his guys.
“I felt free playing,” McDaniel said. “I was having fun, smiling …
He told the Big Ten Network in a postgame interview everything he did was for Llewellyn, who tore his ACL in London against Kentucky.
“He’s going to have some freshman up and downs,” Howard said. “But tonight was a great start for him.”
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Next to him, Bufkin stepped up with yet another solid game. He scored 10-plus points for the fourth straight contest, making 7 of 11 shots on his way to 15 points of his own, including a triple. He was aggressive but in control, dishing 4 assists and turning it over only once, adding three steals.
He hit jumpers off the dribble, even step-backs, and was aggressive taking the ball to the rim. He looked comfortable as a backup point guard, too, and is starting to find a groove.
Granted … Minnesota is awful. The Wolverines won by 15, but the lead was nearly double that at one point before Michigan coasted to victory. And other conference teams will put much more pressure on the U-M guards than Minnesota did. There were times the Golden Gophers picked it up defensively, but McDaniel and Bufkin were aggressive and confident.
Regardless, any road win in the Big Ten is a great win. This one was much-needed coming off losses to Virginia and Kentucky that could have gone either way.
“We weren’t down in the dumps men tally, but it was painful to be three there — one possession away versus Virginia and one possession away versus Kentucky,” Howard said. “Our guys continued to stay the course and provided that energy and effort like they did against Virginia and Kentucky. To have that carry over on the road in Minnesota after we just got back from London a few days ago … that’s hard.”
But they did it, and got a much needed win coming out of the gate extremely motivated and focused. They led at the first TV timeout for the first time all year, per the Big Ten Network, and played with a purpose.
That’s how it’s supposed to be of course — treating every possession like it’s the game winner, on both ends of the floor — but it seems to be sinking in.
There will be tougher tests, of course. But Thursday was a step in the right direction.
