Michigan men’s basketball has hit the ground running in Year 1 under new head coach Dusty May, opening Big Ten play at 4-0 following Tuesday night’s 94-75 win at No. 22 UCLA.
The No. 24 Wolverines were led by center Vlad Goldin, who scored a career-high 36 points in a dominant effort against the Bruins. It was the most points scored in a single game by a Michigan player since Daniel Horton scored 39 against Illinois in 2006, and the most in a true road game for a Wolverines since Mike McGee scored 38 in a win at Northwestern in 1978.
After the game, May praised his big man, who also added seven rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot for the Wolverines.
“I thought he dominated the game on both ends,” May said. “Especially battling foul trouble, he showed great discipline. His poise in the post was impressive tonight. I thought he made great decisions. Early in the game, they had us stretched out and we were able to get him rolling to the rim and slipping out of some ball screens. And, he did what he does. He finished, he was ball-strong and he impacts every single possession.”
Vlad Goldin was GOLDEN tonight in Westwood ⭐️
His career-high 36 PTS led No. 24 Michigan to the road W over No. 22 UCLA 🫡 pic.twitter.com/higm4KUYMo
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 8, 2025
Goldin and fellow frontcourt running mate Danny Wolf found themselves sharing the bench late in the second half due to foul trouble, with Michigan leading UCLA by eight points. It was a precarious situation for the Wolverines, who had earlier blown an 18-point lead.
However, point guard Tre Donaldson came up big with the two 7-footers on the bench, connecting on four second-half 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. It was Donaldson’s most complete performance of his first season in Ann Arbor.
“Tre was in a little bit of foul trouble, and we gambled sitting him with two [fouls] in the first half,” May said of his point guard. “We just wanted to get him to the second half and be able to play with aggression. He really managed the game when Danny and Vlad were out. He got more aggressive offensively. That’s a sign of a really high I.Q. basketball player. He rebounded, he got us in our stuff, he really controlled the game and obviously he made big, big shots when we needed them.”
Tre Donaldson in Michigan’s 94-75 win over UCLA:
20 points
7 assists
6 rebounds
7-11 FG
6-10 3FGHit multiple big 3s down the stretch🔥 pic.twitter.com/ObtJSgtPUV
— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) January 8, 2025
Coming out of Christmas break, Michigan faced a tough road trip to the West Coast with matchups with new Big Ten additions USC and UCLA. The Wolverines head home with wins over both to improve to 4-0 in conference play and increase their winning streak to four games.
“We have a lot of different weapons and we were able to figure out some things on the fly,” May said, discussing the adjustments Michigan had to make due to foul trouble and an injury to starting small forward Roddy Gayle Jr. “What a team UCLA has. They were tough, they were determined, they were aggressive. I thought they came out in the second half and threw the first couple punches, and we responded about midway through it…It’s been a productive trip. We’ve got to get back to Ann Arbor and take care of home now.”
Michigan (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) returns to action on Sunday, hosting Washington (10-5, 1-3) at the Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, with Big Ten Network carrying the televised broadcast.
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