In the words of Michigan head coach Dusty May, his No. 24-ranked Wolverines simply “have got to find a way to keep moving forward,” even after a heartbreaking loss.
The first step in the moving-on process for Michigan will be a home contest on Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Michigan comes in after back-to-back losses on neutral courts to Arkansas and Oklahoma by a combined three points.
The Wolverines will look to bounce back after giving up a four-point play in a one-point loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, but May feels his team is on the cusp of something good.
“We’ve got to clean some things up,” May said. “We’re really close to being a good basketball team. It’s in our vision. We just have to be a little more disciplined, a little more attentive to the details and figure out a way to get over the hump.”
With a new roster from last year, Michigan (8-3) has been led by a number of transfers, namely the duo of 7-footers, Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, who transferred from Florida Atlantic and Yale, respectively.
The tandem has brought versatility on both ends of the court and has at times been dominant. Goldin is averaging 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, while Wolf is averaging 12.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Wolverines have also been buoyed by transfer guards Roddy Gayle (Ohio State) and Tre Donaldson (Auburn). Gayle is averaging 12.5 points a game, while Donaldson is averaging 12.0 points a contest.
May is just looking for his team to find ways to finish games in an improved fashion.
“We’ve got to get more of a killer mindset,” he said.
The Wolverines hope to display such a mindset against a Fort Wayne team that will have a quick turnaround.
The Mastodons (9-4) earned a 103-52 home win over Defiance on Friday night in a game that saw them commit zero turnovers.
“To have zero turnovers, I think we kind have something good going on in terms of we have good team chemistry,” Purdue Fort Wayne guard Trey Lewis said. “Just building on things that are good, and it builds our confidence going into a game like that.”
Purdue Fort Wayne has been led in scoring by Jalen Jackson, who is averaging 18.1 points a game.
Rasheed Bello (14.5 ppg) and Corey Hadnot II (11.7 ppg) are also averaging in double figures for the Mastodons, who along with Milwaukee were selected as co-favorites to win the Horizon League in the league’s preseason poll.
The game figures to feature a lot of points. Purdue Fort Wayne enters averaging 84.8 points a contest and shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point range, while Michigan is averaging 81 points a game and shooting 33.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
This will be the third meeting all-time between the teams. Michigan has won both, including a 75-56 win in 2022.
–Field Level Media
