Michigan basketball secured its third consecutive win on Wednesday night with its 80-76 victory over the Oregon Ducks. Will Tschetter led the way with 17 points off the bench as Michigan improved its overall record to 17-5 on the season.
There's no doubt Tschetter's performance was spectacular, but Michigan forward Danny Wolf stole the show with some highlight-reel plays. The Yale transfer tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes of action to notch his second straight double-double.
Wolf started Big Ten play scorching hot with heroic performances against USC and UCLA, but he had since cooled off as the grind of the Big Ten season has become evident.
But the Michigan big man has appeared to find his groove once again, and he met with reporters to discuss his solid performance against Oregon.
"Just super happy with the win," Wolf said. "I think Big Ten wins are hard no matter which way you look at it. You have to protect home court. I think it's just a common theme that we get these big leads, but we really, really have to stop beating at it. We get these leads, myself included, really just have to focus on the team."
Wolf described exactly what every Michigan fan was thinking as Oregon clawed away at what once was a 14-point Michigan lead. The Wolverines have grown accustomed to taking their foot off the gas when they have a comfortable lead.
Sometimes, the lackadaisicalness has put the team in tight games as the clock winds toward triple zeroes like it did against the Ducks. But other times, the nonchalant efforts have resulted in unfortunate losses.
"We don't like these close games," Wolf added. "No one likes playing in — it might look entertaining if someone hits a big shot, but we'd rather be in a 15-point win. We should've been in that position [tonight]. ... We've got to do a much better job down the stretch of taking care of the ball, of getting defensive rebounds and playing team basketball, which has been a common theme when we get a lead."
Michigan head coach Dusty May also gave his thoughts on Michigan's bad habit.
"We're having trouble putting a really solid performance together for closer to 40 minutes, but it's February — if you can find a way to win and learn some lessons, that's usually the objective. ... We get loose when we have a lead. And it's been that way all year. It causes the other team to go on runs."
Nonetheless, Michigan has won three straight and four of its last five. The Wolverines are a near lock to make the NCAA Tournament, and they're in clear contention of competing for a regular-season conference championship.
Wolf believes, although it may not seem to be the case, that Michigan is improving as the season goes on.
"If you would've told us in June when we first got here that we'd be 17-5 and 9-2 in the conference and in clear contention for a Big Ten Championship, you'd say, 'Yes,' [Michigan is improving]. But internally, we know we're still so far behind what we can be doing. And I know we keep saying it. And I know we're going to keep working at it. And I know come the next few weeks, come March, come April, I think we're going to look back at this and say it's a constant improvement."
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