The head of the snake is back.
After being without sophomore guard Dug McDaniel for the last six road trips, the Michigan men’s basketball team will finally have McDaniel available for away games. Since Jan. 10, McDaniel has served a road-game suspension due to academic issues.
“Dug is making good progress and has done what we’ve asked him to do to this point,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said in a statement. “With that being said, he will be rejoining the team on the road. We have appreciated his efforts and those who have been supporting him.”
Initially, the suspension was reported to be six games long; however it was adjusted later to be classified as “indefinite”. In the end, McDaniel remained in Ann Arbor for the initial suspension length of six games.
Without their leader and point guard, the Wolverines have struggled significantly. All six of the games McDaniel missed resulted in Michigan losses. The Wolverines have won just three Big Ten games all season, and McDaniel’s absence has served as a significant road block in increasing that win total.
Since the road-game suspension was implemented, McDaniel has played in seven home contests, however he’s struggled to maintain the same dynamic scoring that he flashed prior to his suspension. Averaging 14.3 points per contest is still crucial for Michigan, but it’s also a decline from the 17.8 points he averaged prior to the suspension.
As the Wolverines have battled injuries and illness over the past few weeks, having McDaniel back in their arsenal on the road is even more advantageous. The Wolverines’ bench was short to begin the season, and with graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua’s season-ending surgery and McDaniel’s inability to play on the road, it shrunk even more. Michigan will have to find other ways to combat the loss of Nkamhoua, but it will get a huge boost through McDaniel’s reinstation.
The Wolverines will travel to Piscataway to face Rutgers on Thursday, and for the first time since Jan. 10, they will do so with McDaniels.