There are a lot of different schools of thought about what it takes to win in March.
Sometimes the teams that set the tempo best make a run, controlling the pace of play at their liking. Others would tell you that defense comes first, or maybe not turning the ball over. Many would say it’s about veteran leadership and postseason experience, with players who have been in those situations before rising to the challenge. Or perhaps it’s good guard play that leads the way on all those different aspects.
For Michigan coach Dusty May, it’s not good guard play that wins in March, though. It’s simply good play in general.
“It’s one of the great cliches of sports,” May said Monday. “I think teams rise and fall with good play. The best runs I’ve been on, there have been games when the big men had monster games and games when the guards took over. Playing good, solid team basketball and 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 that if we lose it’s because of our guards and if we win it’s because of our guards.”
While May is reluctant to put the pressure on guard play, it’s one of the areas where the Wolverines have been lacking lately. During their recent three-game skid, they’ve only gotten consistent production from junior forward Danny Wolf and graduate center Vlad Goldin. Goldin and Wolf might be good for a combined 45 points and 20 rebounds on any given night, but it’s still hard to win without support from the backcourt.
It’s not just one guard who has struggled, either. Graduate Nimari Burnett can’t buy a shot lately, and graduate Rubin Jones missed time with illness before returning to the starting lineup against Maryland. Meanwhile, junior Tre Donaldson has struggled to lead Michigan’s offense, leaving the Wolverines without a strong presence at the point. He sat for the final 12-plus minutes of their loss to Michigan State Sunday.
“We need Tre to play like Tre if we’re going to be at our best,” May said. “If you look at our most productive games, UCLA, the first half at Indiana, it’s when Tre was running our team at a high level.”
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