Michigan basketball is catching fire at the right time as the Big Ten Tournament rapidly approaches. Most recently, the Wolverines picked up a big-time victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in dramatic fashion. The game seemed to be in hand for the most part until late when Wisconsin began to close the gap and take the lead. However, in what some may consider to be something of a miracle, Hunter Dickinson sent the game into overtime, where the Wolverines were eventually able to close out their win.
Plenty of good came out of this game, and there is still so much more for Michigan basketball to accomplish. To help keep things organized, allow me to introduce some of my biggest takeaways from the win and what it means for the remainder of Michigan’s season.
A slew of playmakers
One of the most underrated aspects of a winning basketball team is having someone capable of creating their own shot. Last year, this happened to be one of Michigan’s greatest downfalls was how the team struggled if Hunter Dickinson couldn’t get going. This year, shot-creating might be a strength for the Wolverines.
It took some time to find their groove in the early parts of the season, but as they head into the home stretch, Michigan basketball finds itself with a collection of players more than capable of making something out of nothing. The most notable might be the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer, freshman Jett Howard who unfortunately has been out with a lower-body injury. Luckily, he appears close to getting back on the court, but in his absence, the door was left open for other players to make their mark.
Two other players who have shown the ability to create their own shots are sophomore Kobe Bufkin and freshman Dug McDaniel. Bufkin has one of the deadliest step-back jumpers we’ve seen in Ann Arbor in some time, and McDaniel happens to be the fastest player on the court at all times.
In the Wolverines’ victory over the Badgers, their playmakers were ready for the moment. Each of Bufkin and McDaniel scored career highs, recording 28 and 20 points respectively. In addition, both made big shots down the stretch, taking defenders off the dribble and scoring over them.
With all three players healthy and ready to go in March, the Wolverines should have no problem finding ways to score. Even if Dickinson can’t get going down low, players like Howard, Bufkin and McDaniel are more than capable of finding and making their own shots around the 3-point line.
Bufkin is deserving of NBA talks
Continuing from my previous point, Kobe Bufkin has been on fire recently. On the year, he’s averaging 12.9 points per game, an increase of 9.9 from just one season ago. In addition, he’s made significant strides in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. He might be one of the most improved players in all of college basketball this year, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for Michigan basketball.
Even more impressive is what he’s been able to accomplish throughout February. On the month, he’s averaged 16.8 points per game while shooting 48.3 percent from deep. Coming off a month like that, it only makes sense that he would cap it off with a career-high 28 points in addition to eight rebounds and two steals en route to help lead his team to a thrilling win over Wisconsin.
While it’s never easy to hear about the possibility of a team’s star players potentially leaving early, you can’t blame NBA teams for noticing what Bufkin has been up to lately. He’s made some incredibly clutch shots throughout the season, and he’s only getting better. Not to mention, he makes an impact all over the court as he’s a more than capable scorer, rebounder, facilitator and defender.
Saving the best for last
At this point, you can’t help but wonder what Juwan Howard is feeding his players in February and March. Under coach Howard, particularly these past two seasons, the Wolverines begin playing their best basketball towards the end of the season, right around tournament season.
Michigan basketball showed plenty of struggles and mistakes throughout the beginning portion of this season, so naturally, fans and the national media began to have some doubts. Now, as February comes to an end, the Wolverines are once again back into the NCAA Tournament picture and are playing their best basketball of the season.
Much of Michigan’s struggles likely came from inexperience on the team, as some of the most productive players are freshmen and sophomores. Now, the team is learning to play with each other, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. While a tournament spot is no guarantee at this point, things are certainly trending upward. If they can find a way to get two more wins before Selection Sunday, expect to see them playing late into March.
To finish the year, Michigan basketball has Illinois and Indiana on the clock, two teams that are more than capable of giving the red-hot Wolverines a run for their money. If you want to feel confident about Michigan’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament, they’ll likely need to win at least one of those games in addition to a victory or two in the Big Ten Tournament. In the meantime, we turn our attention to Illinois, as the two teams will face off on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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