The Michigan Wolverines overcame a sluggish start and their biggest deficit of the season (16 points) to defeat the Northwestern Wildcats 87-75 on Wednesday night in Evanston.
A big factor in the comeback win was the bench, as sophomore guard L.J. Cason compiled a career-high 18 points and four steals, while freshman guard Trey McKenney added 12 points and five rebounds. Michigan continued to showcase its impressive depth and rotation flexibility when it mattered most.
There certainly aren’t many teams in the country that could come back from a 16-point deficit in the second half of a conference game on the road, especially with the starting backcourt sitting on the bench for most of it. But the Wolverines have more than enough experience and talent in the reserves, and that was on full display on Wednesday night.
In addition to Cason and McKenney, the Wolverines rely on Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter to make a consistent impact when their number is called as well. Having so much depth like that allows Michigan’s coaching staff to tinker with different lineups and rotations, and that results in multiple groups being able to finish games if necessary.
Michigan head coach Dusty May explained how it’s a luxury to have such a skilled group of bench players.
“L.J. and Trey were playing so well, and that’s the beautiful thing about our team — I’ve heard a lot on social media the last week that there are four guys on our bench that could start on a lot of quality programs,” May said. “A couple guys came in and had it going, and that’s who we are. We don’t have to go back to one guy because we’re worried another guy can’t finish it.”
May was referring to a recent quote from college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
“Michigan has the best nine-man rotation in college basketball,” Rothstein said. “I really think if you look at Michigan’s four reserves — L.J. Cason, Trey McKenney, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter — and pair those four players with Morez Johnson Jr. or Aday Mara, that five-main lineup could make the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top half of the Big Ten.”
It’s hard to make a case against Rothstein because the Wolverines have proven time and time again they can play at an elite level with a number of different looking lineups. Cason, McKenney, Gayle and Tschetter could receive much more attention and playing time if they were at a different school, but they decided to play at Michigan and compete for championships instead.
Cason is a great example of that because he could have easily transferred elsewhere, especially after May brought in Elliot Cadeau through the transfer portal and McKenney as a five-star in the high school ranks. Cason could very likely be a starter elsewhere, but his decision to stay at Michigan has certainly paid off. In the last three games, he is averaging 12.7 points and 4.0 assists, and that culminated in the best performance of his career against the Wildcats.
May detailed how Cason is becoming more reliable after making such a massive impact in that game.
“Like a lot of our guys, he deserves to play more and he’s a good player,” May said. “We challenged him to expedite his process of being reliable and dependable every single day. He made big shots, but I thought the difference was he started to run our team. His cutting and screening created those opportunities, and that’s how we found our rhythm offensively.”
There’s no doubt May and the Wolverines will rely on their depth in the final weeks of the regular season and into postseason play, and they clearly have confidence in Cason, Gayle, Tschetter and McKenney to succeed in pivotal moments when they are needed.
