Wolverines Lead Nation in Shooting Percentage After Beating Washington

Michigan is making 52 percent of its field goal attempts with Goldin on pace to set the school record for single-season shooting accuracy, while Burnett has Coach May turning cartwheels.

Photos Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Michigan guard Nimari Burnett dribbles around Washington’s Tyler Harris with eyes on both a driving lane and his teammates.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – They can shoot the lights out.

Michigan’s basketball team leads the nation with a field goal shooting percentage of 51.93 after Sunday’s 91-75 win over Washington.

When informed of that after the game, dominating center Vlad Goldin said, “Honestly, I did not know that. Because everyone is trying to play the right way, we take great shots or good shots. And nobody is trying to stat-chase. If we play the right way. If we want to do the right thing, all the records are going to come…”

And yet Wolverine coach Dusty May said his players are “not even close” to “functioning on an elite level offensively yet.”

As tough as No. 24 Michigan (13-3, 5-0 Big Ten) has been to stop while averaging 85.1 points per game (18th nationally), its coach sees room for improvement. Now, that’s hardly surprising. Show me a coach who’s satisfied with what his team is doing in any area, and…Well, he would be the only fully-confident coach in the country. Coaching is all about improving on everything, all the time.

The shooting accuracy starts with the 7-foot-1 Goldin, who was 6-for-7 against the Huskies with his only miss coming on one of two three-point attempts. He scored a team-high 19 points and has made 68.3 percent of his shots this season.

That is No. 1 all-time in a single season for any Wolverine with at least five field goal attempts per game. No. 2 is Loy Vaught, who shot 66.1 percent for the 1988-89 national champions. No. 3 is Chris Webber, who was at 61.9 in his sophomore season of 1992-93. Webber was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft after that season.

“I feel like I’m pretty good with efficiency,” said Goldin, who is averaging a team-high 15.4 points. “I started the season not the way I wanted to [averaging 7.7 points through six games] but we all have to learn at some point. So, I take pride in making shots.

“If my team gives me that honor to make a shot, I feel like I have to make a shot. That’s why it’s important to me to make every shot.”

Goldin had his shooting percentages improve from 35.3 as a freshman at Texas Tech to 55.4, 62.5 and 67.3 in each progressive season at Florida Atlantic before transferring to Michigan with his coach there, May, as a graduate student for 2024-25.

Goldin, driving around a defender, says the confidence of teammates motivates him to seek shooting perfection.

We’re at the exact half-way point of the season, and 16 tough Big Ten games remain that could cut into Goldin’s shooting percentage. But consider that May said Goldin’s playing level actually goes up against tougher competition.

“It seems like when you play the better, more physical teams,” said May, “he plays better. Early in the year we were playing these smaller teams that were more like gnats around him as opposed to big, physical bodies.”

Five of Michigan’s top six players are shooting at least 50.8 percent and next up is brilliant wing guard Nimari Burnett, who is at 56.7 after making all six shots (four from three-point land) against Washington for 16 points.

“The Michigan fan has to get creative and go the Wikipedia page that says, ‘Efficient,’ and post his picture,” said May. “There can’t be another basketball player in the country that’s playing as efficient a basketball as Nimari Burnett.

“He’s given himself to the team. Everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s as consistent with his work as anyone in the program. He’s almost robotic in his approach. He’s a great example for young players – especially ones whose success didn’t happen as quickly as they want. He’s a testament to all that’s right in college basketball. He fits well with his teammates and represents this place at the highest level as far as character and work ethic.

“And, man, he’s fun to coach. He’s banging in shots, making good reads. He’s scrappy on the glass and defending at a high level. We’re very grateful he decided to stay and continue as a ‘Michigan Man.’ I can’t imagine any wing in the country that’s bringing more to his team than Nimari. I could talk about him for days.”

Goldin added, “Nimari’s playing great today. He didn’t miss one shot.”

Danny Wolf, the 7-foot power forward, is shooting 56.5 percent, and sixth man Will Tschetter is at 52.2. Guards Roddy Gayle, Jr. (50.8) and Tre Donaldson (48.3) also are connecting at a healthy percentage rate while providing inside-outside scoring and playmaking.

The Wolverines are going to be a total terror if 6-foot-10 front court player Sam Walters (42.3 percent) shoots like he did Sunday in scoring 12 against the Huskies or freshman guard Justin Pippen (5 points) keeps improving as he has.

I asked Burnett what has gone into this squad’s shooting success.

“It’s the style of play that we play with the pace that we play,” said Burnett. “It’s ball movement, finding open cutters, and open shooters. That’s definitely a tribute to that. [And there’s] the everyday process. The shots that we get off the court [in practice] and the film that we watch every single day. I think that helps with the style of play we play.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers say they play an ethical style of basketball, and I feel like we have a lot of those traits.”

Michigan was an up-and-down shooting team until making 55.2 percent Dec. 7 in an 85-83 win at Iowa. Their percentages in the seven games since: 57.6 (Arkansas), 46.9 (Oklahoma), 62.7 (Purdue Fort Wayne) 51.6 (Western Kentucky), 52.7 (USC), 61.5 (UCLA) and 52.7 (Washington).

Now, that’s consistency.

And consider that the Wolverines got their turnovers down to 11 against the Huskies and have made 10-plus treys in five consecutive games for the first time since 2015-16.

Michigan is behind the school-record shooting percentage of 56.6 by the 1988-89 national champions that had such future NBA talent as Glen Rice, Terry Mills, Rumeal Robinson, Vaught, Sean Higgins and Eric Riley.

So, that gives these Wolverines something to shoot for, doesn’t it?

May explained what’s made them click so far.

“First thing that comes to mind is self-awareness and sacrifice,” he said. “Those two things because these teams come together, and not all players have great self-awareness. They’re going to put their own personal goals and ambitions ahead of the team, and I think our entire roster is sacrificing for their teammates.

“ ‘So, when you have a guy shooting 75- or 80-percent, maybe I isolate over here or throw him the ball.’ So, there’s a trust factor in knowing he’s going to play the right way. He’s going to play unselfishly. And, so, you can see these guys really buying into each other.

“When they see Vlad and they see Danny in the 4-5 [positions] and they see Tre getting it going in the pick-and-roll, those guys have done a nice job of finding what’s working and staying with it. And that’s much easier said than done.”

The coach knows poor shooting games will come.

“There’s going to be nights when the ball just doesn’t go in,” said May, “and we’re not making threes. But we have a very versatile group that – I think we’re No. 1 in the country in two-point [shot] percentage. Shooting the threes [even in off games] allows you got get the dunks and layups, allow you to get step-in threes.

“And the guys are starting to turn down some pretty good shots to continue to fight to get a great one, and that doesn’t happen overnight. Fortunately for us, they’ve bought in because they have great character.”

It’s been something to watch, hasn’t it?