Michigan began the season as an intriguing roster with a hot-name coach. The Wolverines have quickly proven to be much more. Dusty May’s team has incrementally moved up in human and computer rankings, checking in at No. 20 in this week’s AP Top 25 and climbing to No. 11 at KenPom.com. At 13-3, the Wolverines are not just firmly in the mix to push for supremacy in the highly competitive Big Ten, they’re the statistical favorite to win the regular season.
Michigan has two very big reasons for its quick change into one of the surprisingly good teams in college basketball: Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. The tall-towers duo has started every game, averaging more than a combined 52 minutes. What Wolf and Goldin are doing is not merely unusual, it’s unparalleled this season and in recent history. They’re both 7 feet tall: Goldin at 7-1 and Wolf 7-even.
How many other teams play two 7-footers together? Michigan is the only one of 364.
“From an outsider’s perspective looking in, a lot of people didn’t think it would work,” Wolf told CBS Sports. “I think at first we didn’t know how it was going to work, but the coaches had an idea and a vision for it and it was all about us buying into that.”
The Wolverines have unlocked a door that was presumed shut by most, as college basketball has tried to somewhat mimic the NBA’s transformation into more positionless roster-building. The Goldin/Wolf tandem has played 491 possessions this season together (not accounting for possessions including free throws, which would vault the number well above 500). The next closest program to play two 7-footers simultaneously is Arizona at 27, according to EvanMiya.com. After that: Saint Mary’s (14), Coastal Carolina (9) and San Francisco (5). (Note: 14-3 Wisconsin frequently plays 7-footer Steven Crowl and fellow big Nolan Winter together but not nearly as much as Michigan. Winter’s height is now officially listed at 7 feet…
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