Michigan happy it can build big leads in the first place: 'That's a heck of a tribute to our guys'
Michigan Wolverines basketball has won 10 Big Ten games, yet most of them have been nail-biters. The Wolverines have seen two opponents, Rutgers and Indiana, make threes at the buzzer to make the final score closer than the game really was, but their last five victories have come by four points or fewer.
A theme has emerged in recent weeks: Michigan has built big leads but seen them disappear, forcing them to win in the closing minutes. The Wolverines are 7-4 in games decided by six points or fewer, but would rather avoid them all together in games they control most of the 40 minutes.
Head coach Dusty May admitted recently that Michigan has been too “loose” on certain possessions once it gets a lead by a significant margin. The Wolverines have continued to have to win close despite being up big at one point, though, including having been up 18 in a three-point victory over Indiana (that was a six-point game until a three-quarter-court triple went for the Hoosiers).
“If you just eliminate the two or three unforced errors, the game looks a lot different,” May said Monday. “I thought we missed some great looks against their zone. Obviously, those shots go in, and it looks different.
“I thought [wing Mackenzie] Mgbako got going and made some extremely difficult shots. I thought we let [forward] Malik Reneau get to his left hand a few times; that contributed to it.”
But, May pointed out, Michigan is playing other good teams that are hoping to mount a comeback, and that the Wolverines aren’t the only ones who have seen big advantages evaporate.
“I think UConn was up 26 to 10 or 12 against St. John’s, and St. John’s won [Friday night],” May said. “There are a lot of possessions. I’m so grateful that we’re at the point where we’re disappointed in margin of victory on the road at Big Ten arenas.”
Michigan’s coach is correct about that. There are levels to this, of course, but the No. 1 goal is to win games, and Michigan is doing just that. Additionally, building big leads isn’t something to gloss over — it’s hard to do and impressive that the Wolverines have.
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In Big Ten play, Michigan is averaging a largest lead of 11 points, and it’s led for 27:25 of game time on average.
For comparison’s sake, here are the averages for other Big Ten contenders against conference opponents:
| Team | Average Time Leading | Average Largest Lead |
| Purdue | 28:35 | 18.5 points |
| Michigan State | 27:20 | 17.8 points |
| Wisconsin | 26:10 | 17.1 points |
| Maryland | 27:00 | 14.8 points |
| Illinois | 23:05 | 15.9 points |
| UCLA | 25:55 | 13.6 points |
Michigan was 8-24 overall last season and made a coaching change. May and Co. brought in 11 new players and engineered an incredible turnaround — that context is important, too.
“That’s a heck of a tribute to our guys,” May said. “Our conversations all summer, all fall, last spring … to get to this point where you beat these teams. You look at what our guys have been able to do on the road — at Wisconsin, at both LA schools. Show me another team that goes out and wins two in LA, against those two programs and coaches. And then find a way to win at Indiana, find a way to win at Rutgers. Obviously, we caught a little bit of a break there, with [Scarlet Knights point guard Dylan] Harper being out.
“Obviously, we would like to double our lead and triple our lead and quadruple our lead, but we’re playing against a team on the other side that is also trying to win and come back and play well. We’ll continue to try to be better every single possession.”
Michigan’s next crack at it is against No. 7 Purdue Tuesday night. The Wolverines and Boilermakers will tip off at 7 p.m. ET at Crisler Center, streaming on Peacock.
