The Michigan roller coaster is getting at least one more ride.
From the top five of the AP poll to the worst win-loss record of any men’s NCAA tournament team, navigating a COVID-19 pause and a lengthy suspension of its head coach in between, “tumultuous” would be a kind word to describe the types of ups and downs this team has experienced in 2021–22.
And for the first 15 minutes of this first-round matchup with Colorado State, some Wolverine fans might have been ready to get off the ride for good. Michigan was sloppy and disoriented without point guard DeVante’ Jones, who didn’t travel from Ann Arbor after suffering a concussion in practice earlier in the week. Colorado State was well prepared for Hunter Dickinson’s post catches and was exploiting the 7-footer in space on the defensive end. The Wolverines looked lost. Through 15 minutes, Michigan trailed by 15 and had more turnovers than field goals.
But rather suddenly, like a thrill ride, Michigan soared from rock bottom back into the skies. The man who keyed it? Freshman Frankie Collins, Jones’s replacement in the starting lineup and at the point guard spot. Collins, a touted top-50 recruit who fell to the fringes of the rotation in conference play, has fully experienced the challenges of this Wolverines season. He played double-digit minutes just once in Michigan’s 13 games prior to the NCAA tournament and didn’t score in seven of them. Yet with his team needing a lifeline, it was the freshman that made Thursday’s biggest plays.
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First, it was a personal 5–0 run after going down 28–13, his first five points of the game. It started with an old-fashioned three-point play, then a steal in the backcourt leading to a breakaway layup. That stretch gave Michigan life heading into halftime, well within striking distance in a game that felt over before the under-four media timeout.
“We were kind of struggling getting the ball in the basket, so just being aggressive will help us, whether it was getting to the line or making a basket,” Collins said.
“Frankie was just being Frankie out there,” Dickinson said.
Another huge moment: An in-rhythm three from the corner by Collins early in the second half cut Michigan’s deficit to three, a critical answer to a CSU three that had given the Rams some breathing room again. For a player who shot just 2-of-15 from deep this season and hadn’t made a three since Dec. 18, the shot was taken with impressive confidence, and that confidence was rewarded with a swish.
“If you go back and look at our practice numbers this year … [Frankie’s] shooting [percentage] is always very high,” Juwan Howard said. “It just showed the level of confidence he had within himself.”
Collins’s impact went beyond the offensive end. His athleticism and energy were contagious on defense as the Wolverines turned up the heat on CSU in the second half, blowing up the Rams’ handoff-heavy offense with his effort. It’s no coincidence why Collins led the team in plus/minus for the game at plus-16 in his 31 minutes; he defended, took care of the ball and even rebounded well in addition to his career-high 14 points.
“He could have come out and not played well but he stuck with it, stuck with it, made some plays when we needed [them],” Howard said. “It just shows you his mental stability and how wired he is.”
CSU was right there until the closing moments, but Michigan controlled the second half. The Wolverines suffocated Colorado State to the tune of 29% shooting after intermission and shot 60% from the field on the other end. Michigan was opportunistic in transition, got good looks for Caleb Houstan from deep and used its length and athleticism to overpower a 25-win Rams team. After going down 28–13, Michigan outscored CSU 62–33 over the game’s final 25 minutes.
Howard says he expects to see Jones “soon” but gave no further updates on the status of his veteran floor general. In the meantime, the Wolverines may have found something in Collins to build around for the rest of the tournament, even if Jones is able to return. The team’s lack of consistent bench minutes in the backcourt has been one of many Achilles heels for it this season. The Collins we saw Thursday could change that, and would be critical in a potential second-round matchup with a Tennessee team that plays two dynamic undersized guards in Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler.
But remember, the only constant in this Michigan season has been inconsistency. The Wolverines haven’t won or lost consecutive games since Feb. 10, an 11-game stretch that played Michigan into the NCAA tournament without doing enough to avoid doubt about its Big Dance hopes on Selection Sunday. Asking if this will finally be the turning point feels like a fool’s errand.
Michigan can beat anyone. It can also lose to almost anyone. Sometimes (like Thursday, or last time out against Indiana in the Big Ten tournament), the Wolverines show both sides in one game. And as maddening as that makes them to watch, it also means they are a team few, if anyone, wants to play in a single-elimination tournament like this one.
