UC-San Diego enters Michigan game with a ‘chip on the shoulder’

DENVER — Michigan head coach Dusty May predicted his team would have a bit more of an “edge” after being awarded a 5 seed following a Big Ten Tournament title. The Wolverines will face a UC-San Diego team that’s won 15 games in a row and playing its best ball of the year. 

Many have made the Tritons this year’s best 5-12 upset option, and it’s become a fashionable pick. That hasn’t stopped them from playing the underdog card, however … in fact, they played it many times during Wednesday’s press conference. 

“They’re a big team,” UCSD guard Tyler McGhie said. “We know they just won the Big Ten championship. They’re really hot. They have a great coach. There are a lot of things. It’s a really good team. We’re just going to prep the same way and be ourselves … I feel like [I’ve been overlooked] my whole life. I feel like I don’t have the best-looking basketball body (laughter). But I feel like it’s fuel, for sure. It makes me want to play harder, just prove people wrong.”

In fact, he looks more like a mid-20s accountant (all due respect) than a Division I athlete. Fellow guard Hayden Gray, meanwhile, resembles a poor man’s Ethan Hawke (actor), but he’s a baller. 

“I think that [Michigan size] can play to some of our advantages,” he said. “We want to get out and run. We’re still going to be a physical team, and I think we kind of like being overlooked. We’ve been overlooked a lot of the season, and it kind of helps us play with a chip on our shoulder.”

But then there’s the reality of it, coach Eric Olen noted. First, he praised Michigan coach Dusty May, joking he hoped his team could overcome the coaching disadvantage. He, too, said they didn’t expect to change much, but understood the challenge was much bigger than it was against any other team they’ve played this year. 

“It’s sort of the same process with a bigger version of it,” he said. “We’ll try to do some things that put them in difficult situations on both sides of the ball and try to avoid those difficult situations for us, because they obviously exist, but that’s a big challenge in a matchup like this.

“But it’s also kind of what makes this tournament fun, is you get to see contrasting styles match up, teams from different conferences and things like that. We’re really excited about the challenge and the opportunity, but yeah, we certainly … there are some obvious physical advantages when you start the game, and we’ll do our best to mitigate those the best we can.”

He’s also not sold on the idea that Michigan’s NCAA Tournament experience trumps his team’s resolve the last several months.

“I don’t know how much of an advantage it will be,” Olen continued. “I think certainly their team has an advantage with their coaches having done it and advanced really far. Myself and my staff will work hard to do the best we can, but I think that my team has a really good idea of who they are and how they want to play, and their approach to how we go about it has been pretty consistent all year. So, we’re going to just try to keep doing what we’re doing and take that same approach.

“We’ve been playing in big games for a long time because as a one-bid league who’s trying to put yourself in potential at large consideration or win your season, but you’re only one game ahead … we’ve sort of been in a can’t lose any game [situation] for two months. Every game has been huge for us, and I think that has prepared us hopefully for this. I thought it certainly prepared us for the conference tournament, and we played well there.”

He also laughed, though, at the thought of the jump ball photo when Michigan and his team take the floor. He, too, mentioned the “chip on the shoulder” and wanting to go into battle with players like McGhie, Gray, and Co. They have six Division II transfers, none having played on such a big stage.

“We don’t look the part, but yeah, I think we embrace that a little bit,” Olen said. “I know that our guys are constantly wanting to prove themselves, and this is another good opportunity, great opportunity for them to try to do it again. I know that they embrace that. They like that. It’s kind of fun.

But at the end of the day, once the game starts, it’s not really going to have any impact. We’ll play the possessions as they come, and our guys will compete really hard and we’ll just see what happens. It’s kind of fun and they joke about it, and I do think it’s something that drives them a little bit. There’s a chip on their shoulder. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to play the game, and we’re excited about the opportunity.”