Dusty May Raves About Two Michigan Wolverines Fueling NCAA Tournament Run

The Wolverines needed these two players to step up.

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Michigan will take on Arizona on Saturday in the Final Four, playing for a spot in the national title, but the Wolverines might not have had this opportunity if it weren't for two players off the bench.

Going back to Michigan's Sweet Sixteen win against Alabama, the Wolverines ended up with a 13-point victory, but it was also the worst game both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson had — a combined 15 points.

With both of their big men struggling, Michigan needed others to step up. That's when Trey McKenney scored 17 and Roddy Gayle Jr. added 16 off the bench. Even when Michigan's strengths failed, the Wolverines found a new way to win a big game.

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"Well, we were talking about as a staff this morning that Roddy's playing so athletic right now," May said on Defend the Block. "He's blocking shots, he's high-pointing rebounds, and his teammates are looking for him. His shot looks clean. And there were several times this year he shot the ball just as well as he is now, and it just didn't drop. I mean, the Purdue game, the first Big Ten Tournament Championship, he gets open in a weak side corner and the ball is 90 percent down and just found a way to score it out. And now it just seems like the tightest turn for him."

Five-star freshmen has become elite

Once L.J. Cason went down with a torn ACL, it gave Trey McKenney a chance to have an even bigger role for Michigan. And he has come through when the Wolverines needed him. He has scored in double figures in three of Michigan's four NCAA Tournament games.

But beyond scoring, McKenney has been able to facilitate and bring the ball up the court more than he ever has. Even back in high school, McKenney was known as a scorer, but with Cason being out, McKenney has shifted to the backup point guard.

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"I can't say enough about Trey McKenney and his maturity," May said. "He's thrown into the fire as a point guard now, after really never playing the position his entire life. And he's done better every game against increased competition. He makes big shots. He might be our best communicator defensively. So it's obvious with his shot making and his ability to create shots late clock. I mean, that's been a real welcome addition to this group.

"We haven't always scored very well late clock because we don't get there very often and we're usually in the flow, and so we don't isolate very much. And late clock, he's been able to get us a lot big baskets because of his one-on-one scoring ability. And we've needed all those, but more than anything else, his communication, his invisible plays that lead to winning, much like Roddy, have been their biggest contributions, even aside from their impressive stat lines."

If the Wolverines are going to get past Arizona, Michigan will need both Gayle and McKenney to have another solid outing on Saturday.