The Michigan Wolverines have already showcased why they can compete in the Big Ten this season. Sure, they’ve had up-and-down guard play thus far, but Michigan basketball is in a perfect situation in their frontcourt. The “twin-towers” of Danny Wolf and Vlad Golden are already proving to be a duo to fear.
Wolf already showed that the minute he hit the floor, he was ready to be a huge contributor this season. As for Goldin, he had a bit of a slow start. Goldin was a promising rim scorer and protector during his time playing for head coach Dusty May at Florida Atlantic. I’m sure it was a big step up adjusting to the Big Ten and Michigan. Nonetheless, both have been huge difference-makers for the Wolverines thus far. They will be the focal point moving forward.
Michigan Basketball’s Wolf-Goldin Duo Hard to Stop
The rest of the Big Ten is in for a tough go, especially against this pair. Wolf and Goldin were huge in Michigan’s big road victory at 11th-ranked Wisconsin. That game was a statement, and this team is certainly not the one that went 8-24 in 2023-24. Both Wolf and Goldin were able to lock down the Badgers’ best big men, including Steven Crowl , who has been one of the league’s steadiest bigs. Not only that, both players scored over 20 points.
Their excellent play continued on Saturday as the Wolverines squeaked by the Iowa Hawkeyes, 85-83 on Saturday. The duo of Wolf and Goldin combined to score 33 points and grab 25 rebounds. The win improved Michigan to 8-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
That came as no surprise on Wolf’s part as he’s averaging double figures, and has scored 13 or more points five times this season against stout competition. As for Goldin, it was a real breakout performance as he scored a game-high 24 points. That came after he was able to score 18 points against Xavier during their Feast Week tournament in Florida. Both players are hitting their stride at the perfect time, and Michigan is only going to continue to benefit from it.
Michigan’s 4-5 pick & roll may just be the most unguardable play in college basketball.
Michigan’s Danny Wolf possesses some special playmaking + creation ability at 7’0 & pair that alongside a dominant interior presence in 7’1 Vlad Goldin, creating a cheat code vs any coverage. pic.twitter.com/LmtyN0uKGu
— mohamed (@mcfxz) December 5, 2024
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Post-Play Excellence Gives Guards Time to Get Better
Not only are both guys scoring at a high rate, they are playing great defensively. Sure both guys are seven-footers, but they have both showcased pretty strong ball control. Guard play has been up and down to this point for the Wolverines, and it’s not like they are the best team of the bunch in terms of assists. Tre Donaldson is the current assist leader for the team averaging four per game. That has to increase, for this team to fully be believable especially when Michigan faces the likes of Oregon, Michigan State, and Purdue, who all have shown they have excellent guards to this point.
Sure it will probably equal out with how well Wolf has been as a playmaker, but that isn’t a guarantee. It’s great to have great post players, for example, Purdue with Zach Edey for the previous four years. He had great guards getting him the ball. I’m not writing the Michigan guards out, but they have to get everything squared away at that position.
Beware Rest of the Big Ten, The Terror Twins Are Coming
You could give the Wolf-Goldin pair plenty of nicknames, but the best has to be what senior forward Jace Howard and strength coach Matt Aldred gave the pair according to Tony Garcia from the Detroit Free Press . “Area 51” as they have now been labeled. Makes sense since Wolf wears No. 1 and Goldin wears No. 50. Plus they are pretty much like a couple of aliens, given their size and skill.
#Michigan outlasted previously unbeaten Wisconsin 67-64 in the Big Ten opener to improve to 7-1 on Tuesday night!
Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf took over down the stretch to help secure a second straight win over a ranked opponent.
The #Wolverines forged ahead in the final minutes… pic.twitter.com/YKtGZAjLpd
— Chas Post (@chas_post23) December 4, 2024
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Sure Michigan basketball was more or less a darkhorse coming into the season with plenty of unknowns given a new coach and a whole new roster. Wolf and Goldin have this team amongst the best in the Big Ten. Perhaps the expectations should be raised. The Wolverines could be right in the Big Ten Championship fight. That would be a heck of a turnaround from the school’s worst season in history.
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