Walking into the Crisler Center press room postgame on Tuesday, graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua delivered a proclamation:
“Yeah PG1! Yeahhhh PG1! He’s him!” Nkamhoua declared. “Tell him he should have had two more assists. He’s lacking.”
While Nkamhoua might have wanted a double-double from sophomore guard Dug McDaniel — a career-high 22 points to go with eight assists wasn’t quite up to his standards — McDaniel commanded a dynamic, high-flying offense. Leading the Michigan men’s basketball team in minutes, assists and plus-minus, the Wolverines rode McDaniel’s momentum in a 99-74 rout of UNC Asheville.
“During the offseason, my teammates told me, ‘Dug, you the head of the snake,’ ” McDaniel said. “ ‘We gon go as you go.’ … I took that to heart. I try to be the best version of myself, not only for me, but if I’m the head of the snake, for my team.”
As the head of the snake, McDaniel was lethal on Tuesday night. Shooting 60% from the field and 44% from behind the arc, he poured it on. Whether he pulled up for three off the dribble or found an open lane and cut to the basket, McDaniel’s shots found nylon time and time again.
“The first game is how you set the tone, put yourself on the map for the rest of the season,” McDaniel said. “I took that with me and I know this one is gonna set the tone for the rest of the season. I came out and made a statement.”
With a career scoring night, McDaniel certainly made a personal statement. But if he’s the head of the snake, he has to feed the body too. And while he made sure to take the open shot when the opportunity presented itself — plus a few contested ones — he also helped the offense move more smoothly when he was on the court.
Maybe that’s because McDaniel is the only true point guard available for the Wolverines at the moment. He’s been playing the position his whole life, and as a result, he’s developed a natural sense of when to shoot and when to distribute. Between key passes that helped Michigan get out in transition and incisive vision in the half-court, McDaniel showed those instincts as he moved the ball into the right hands.
That vision culminated in a “home run play”, as Nkamhoua put it. Casually taking the ball up the court with two minutes left in the first half, McDaniel noticed Nkamhoua cutting to the hoop ahead of the Bulldogs. He launched the ball to the basket from the halfcourt line, where Nkamhoua slammed it home with two hands, coaxing rousing cheers from the crowd.
But with another year of maturity under his belt, McDaniel isn’t just concerned about the home run plays.
“I take pride in just making singles,” McDaniel said. “Every play doesn’t have to be a home run. And I love making flashy passes, but not every pass is gonna be flashy.”
While the home-run alley-oop stands out, it was one of eight times on the night that McDaniel connected with a teammate for points. That still doesn’t include the numerous other occasions where he found someone who drew a foul, or made the extra pass for a basket.
That alley-oop may have been the Wolverines going in for the kill. But each tight-window pass that McDaniel made and shot that he drained allowed them to stalk their prey, bringing them one step closer to finishing UNC Asheville off for good.
And with McDaniel guiding the way as the head of the snake, Michigan showed a glimpse of how sharp its fangs can be.