Few Big Ten men’s basketball programs have a deeper history of frontcourt talent than the Gophers, who were led in the 1970s and 1980s by legends such as Mychal Thompson, Kevin McHale and Randy Breuer.
Michigan’s Twin Towers ready to make things difficult for Gophers
The Wolverines are 5-0 in the Big Ten, led by 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 15, 2025 at 11:28PM
Basketball has evolved to become more perimeter-oriented, but there are Big Ten teams considered throwbacks to that big man era.
The Gophers (8-9, 0-6 Big Ten) host No. 20 Michigan on Thursday night having to figure out how to match up against a rare starting lineup featuring two 7-footers, Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.
“It’s going to be a really challenging defensive game,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. “Everybody’s gone to more small ball, but they’ve made it work.”
The Wolverines’ Twin Towers have terrorized the Big Ten under first-year coach Dusty May, who brought the 7-1, 250-pound Goldin with him from Florida Atlantic. The 7-foot, 250-pound Wolf transferred from Yale to take the Big Ten by storm as a center who can play point guard.
“We felt like we were unique,” May said. “We could play a different style that teams didn’t see every night, which makes it difficult to prepare.”
The Wolverines, who are tied for first place with Michigan State in the Big Ten at 5-0 entering Thursday, aren’t just about throwing the ball inside, either. Auburn transfer Tre Donaldson, Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. and Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett lead them on the perimeter. Stewartville, Minn., native Will Tschetter adds depth off the bench.
But Goldin is tied for the Big Ten scoring lead with 22 points per game in league play, which included a career-high 36 points in a 94-75 win vs. No. 22 UCLA. Wolf, projected as a first-round NBA draft pick, averages 15.4 points in league play, but he also ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding (10.0) and seventh in assists (4.4).
“Those two 7-footers are really good, and they utilize the pick-and-roll a lot,” senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. said. “We have to be in help [position] and be locked in on our man as well.”
During Michigan’s five-game win streak, Goldin is averaging 19.2 points on 76.6% shooting from the field.
May noted one area that really makes his big men special. “We’ve got tall guys who can really pass,” he said.
Wolf had nine assists in a game vs. Arkansas this season. But Goldin has combined for nine assists in the past three games.
“I think Vlad’s an underrated passer who probably doesn’t get a lot of attention because of how well Danny passes it,” May added.
Many post players were overshadowed by Purdue’s two-time national player of the year Zach Edey. He’s now in the NBA, but the Big Ten is still loaded with frontcourt talent. The Gophers are led by 6-11 senior Dawson Garcia, who is averaging a career-best 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.
But Garcia also has had to face big bodies such as Indiana’s Oumar Ballo, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, Wisconsin’s Steve Crowl and Maryland’s Derik Queen already this season. Queen, a 6-10 freshman, was a game-changer in the paint Monday with a season-high 27 points in the Gophers’ 77-71 loss in College Park, Md.
“Maryland had true size,” Johnson said. “It’s the same thing with Michigan. They’re different type players, but you’re going against two true [centers]. Wolf’s an agile [center], but Michigan hurts you because they score so easy.”
The Wolverines rank third in the Big Ten overall in scoring (85.1), first in field-goal percentage (51.9) and third in three-point percentage (37.8). They’re a sleeper to win the Big Ten title because of their unique big-man tandem.
“We felt like we had a group that can compete with anyone in the country,” May said. “Can we beat everyone on any night? We have no idea. We haven’t proven that yet, but we did like our pieces.”
Michigan at Gophers
6 p.m., Thursday at Williams Arena
TV; radio: FS1; 100.3-FM
The Wolverines (13-3, 5-0) have been a surprise early Big Ten title contender under Dusty May, who replaced Juwan Howard after the program suffered an 8-24 season in 2023-24. Michigan’s first big statement came in early December. It upset No. 11 Wisconsin 67-64 on the road behind Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, who totaled 44 points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks and six assists. The tandem also combined for 33 points and 25 rebounds in an 85-83 follow-up win vs. Iowa.
Greg Eslinger was a Gophers award-winning center in 2005 and Blake Elliott a St. John’s All-America receiver in that era. Kleinsasser starred for North Dakota in college, then played for the Vikings.
