The Michigan Roller Coaster gets at least one more ride.
From the top five in the AP poll to the worst win-loss record of any men’s NCAA tournament team, navigating a COVID-19 break and a long suspension from his head coach in between, “tumultuous” would be a nice word for the kinds of ups and Downs experienced this team in 2021-22.
And for the first 15 minutes of this first-round matchup with Colorado State, some Wolverine fans might have been ready to get out of the trip forever. Michigan was sloppy and disoriented without point guard DeVante ‘Jones, who did not leave Ann Arbor after suffering a concussion in practice earlier in the week. Colorado State was well prepared for Hunter Dickinson’s catch and took advantage of the 7-foot in space on the defensive end. The Wolverines looked on lost. With 15 minutes left, Michigan was left with 15 and had more turnover than field goals.
But rather suddenly, like a thrill ride, Michigan rose from rocks back into the sky. The man who locked it? Freshman Frankie Collins, Jones replacement in the starting lineup and at the Point Guard spot. Collins, an accomplished top-50 recruiter who has fallen to the brink of rotation in the conference game, has fully embraced the challenges of this Wolverines season. He played double-digit minutes just once in Michigan 13 games before the NCAA tournament and failed to score in seven of them. But with his team needing a lifeline, it was Freshman who made the biggest plays on Thursday.
First, it was a personal 5-0 run after going 28-13, his first five points of the game. It started with an old-fashioned three-point game, then a steal in the backfield, which led to an outburst layout. This track brought Michigan life to halftime, well within striking distance in a game that felt over before the under-four media timeout.
“We’ve been struggling to get the ball in the basket, so just being aggressive helps us, whether it’s getting on the line or making a basket,” Collins said.
“Frankie was just Frankie outside,” Dickinson said.
Another great moment: A three in Collins’ rhythm early in the second half reduced Michigan’s deficit to three, a critical response to a CSU three that gave the Rams some breathing space again. For a player who has only shot 2-of-15 from deep this season and has not scored three since Dec. 18, the shot was taken with impressive confidence, and that confidence was rewarded with a swish.
Scroll to Continue
“If you look back and see our practice numbers this year … [Frankie’s] shoot [percentage] is always very high, “said Juwan Howard.” It just showed the level of confidence he had in himself. ”
Collins’ impact went over the offensive end. His athleticism and energy were contagious on defense as the Wolverines raised the heat on CSU in the second half, and the Rams inflated their handoff-heavy offense with his effort. It is no coincidence that Collins led the team in plus / minus for the match on plus-16 in his 31 minutes; he defended, took care of the ball and, in addition to his career-high 14 points, even pulled back well.
“He could have come out and not played well, but he stuck with it, stopped with him, made some plays when we needed to. [them]”It just shows you his mental stability and how capable he is.”
CSU was there until the closing moments, but Michigan controlled the second half. The Wolverines choked Colorado State with 29% shooting after the break and shot 60% of the field at the other end. Michigan was opportunistic in the transition, looked good for Caleb Houston from deep and used his length and athleticism to a winning 25-win Rams team. After going down 28-13, Michigan outscored CSU 62-33 over the last 25 minutes of play.
Howard says he expects to see Jones “soon,” but has given no further updates on the status of his veteran ground general. In the meantime, the Wolverines may have found something in Collins to build around for the rest of the tournament, even if Jones is able to return. The team’s lack of consistent bench minutes in the back was one of many Achilles heels for this season. The Collins we saw on Thursday could change that, and would be critical in a potential second-round matchup with a Tennessee team playing two dynamically undersized guards in Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler.
But remember that the only constant this Michigan season was inconsistency. The Wolverines have not won or lost consecutive games since Feb. 10, an 11-game stretch that Michigan played in the NCAA Tournament without doing enough to dispel doubts about its Big Dance hopes on Selection Sunday. Frot ob this will finally be the turning point feels like a fool.
Michigan can beat anyone. It can also lose almost anyone. Sometimes (like on Thursday, or last time against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament), the Wolverines show both sides in a game. And as crazy as it makes them look, it also means they are some team, if any, wanting to play in a singles elimination tournament like this.
More March Madness Coverage:
• Remember Lehigh’s Stunning Upset of Duke
• The 10 teams that are most likely to win the men’s title
• 1–68: Ranking of the Lords Tourney Field
Add Comment