What Danny Wolf’s Yale run can teach his Michigan basketball teammates about March Madness

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The shift in Michigan basketball’s vibes from January to March is nearly palpable.

As the Wolverines near the Big Ten tournament on the verge of earning a double-bye — despite a 20-point beatdown by Illinois (in which U-M allowed 19 offensive boards and 30 second-chance points and Wednesday’s six-point loss to Maryland (in which 16 turnovers became 21 Terp points) — they’re suddenly reeling in a way they weren’t in the midst of the early winter’s six-game win streak.

Sure, Michigan was still turning the ball over too much and struggling on the glass then, as well, but as head coach Dusty May said, the team was making enough shots to cover up those warts. In the past nine games, however, U-M has shot 35% or worse beyond the arc, and the struggles have begun to catch up with the group.

Michigan Wolverines center Danny Wolf drives to the basket against Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Lathan Sommerville during the first half at Jersey Mike’s Arena, Feb. 1, 2025.

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“It’s just a confidence thing,” U-M big Danny Wolf said. “I have all the confidence in myself. I have all the confidence in my teammates and my coaches. (But) when the ball’s not going in, and you have a few games back-to-back-to-back, that rim seems smaller and smaller, and you’ve just got to see a few go in.

“Confidence just comes from yourself and I have nothing but trust and confidence in my teammates.”

This isn’t Wolf’s first time dealing with a loss of confidence among his teammates.

Last year, just as the calendar flipped to March, Wolf and his then-teammates at Yale were floundering, following an overtime senior day loss to Brown on a buzzer-beater that cost the Bulldogs the Ivy League regular-season championship.

It was crushing, but Wolf remembers a phrase that rallied his teammates — one that May also leaned on after Michigan’s lopsided Purdue loss in January.

“We saw a fork in the road and we…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/danny-wolfs-yale-run-teach-110347472.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2025-03-07 11:03:00

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