ATLANTA — Danny Wolf has been the No. 5 seed Michigan men’s basketball team’s greatest showman all season long. Stunning entire arenas and making dazzling plays in every facet of the game, the 7-foot junior forward has been the wildcard that made the Wolverines a dynamic cover and exciting team to watch.
But the show can’t go on forever, the final act always comes, and for Wolf that came in the Sweet Sixteen. While Michigan fell to No. 1 seed Auburn, that doesn’t mean that Wolf’s season concluded in disappointment, rather he put on another show-stopping performance that fell just short.
With 20 points and six rebounds, Wolf did everything in his power to lug the Wolverines to a win. Throughout the game, he scored in bunches, turning the kindling of one make into the heat of a second. His quick spurts put Michigan in position to win, but ultimately his scoring was doused in the final quarter of the game and his team’s lead washed away.
“That’s the last thing on my mind,” Wolf said when asked about what he showed in his individual performance. “I had no intention of showing anyone what type of player I was. I mean, all I really cared about was getting a win, and we weren’t able to do it.”
In the first half it was the dirty work that got Wolf going. His first two buckets came through running in transition and fighting for an offensive board. He followed minutes later with a seven-point outburst capped by a baseline dunk — a rare occurrence for a player who often favors finesse to power.
His efforts continued into the second half, scoring nine points in seven minutes, his last two putting the Wolverines up seven. He had shown everything in his game: tough finishes in transition, back-to-the-basket finesse, deep-range shooting and ball handling not befitting of a 7-footer. But that’s where this season’s show ended for Wolf. Being subbed out before the under-12 minute timeout right as he was at his hottest, he wouldn’t score another point in the game — and Michigan’s offense went quiet alongside him.
The whole game, the Wolverines didn’t have another star to shine next to Wolf. His frontcourt mate, graduate center Vlad Goldin, struggled in a rare off night, scoring just 10 points on nine shots. Michigan’s guards hit shots here and there, but none had dominant performances.
“I thought (Tigers forward) Dylan Cardwell did an incredible job on Goldin,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I thought (Tigers forward Johni Broome), Dylan, (Auburn forward Chaney Johnson) were physical with those guys and didn’t let them dominate the game with their size, which they do.”
Without Goldin’s usually steady performance, or any secondary scoring for that matter, Wolf and the Wolverines heard their curtain call. Despite putting on one final show for his first season with Michigan, Wolf’s final performance wasn’t quite enough.
While the Wolverines’ jack of all trades and unicorn of a player still holds another year of eligibility, it is to be seen if he ever dons the block ‘M’ again. His unique skill set got Michigan this far, but it also lends him to a hard decision to make, choosing between the professional jump and another shot for glory with the Wolverines.
“It was arguably the greatest year of my life,” Wolf said of his first year at Michigan. “I made so many amazing relationships, I met my brothers for life and we had an unbelievable locker room. We stuck with each other through the ups and downs, and it sucks to see it cut short.”
The choice is Wolf’s alone to make, and it may not be made any time soon. But if Friday night was it, Wolf’s closing act on the season was one that dazzled yet again, but fell just short of the ultimate goal.
