3 takeaways from Michigan basketball win over St. John’s

Michigan basketball passed its first legit test of 2023 by running the Red Storm right out of the gym.

Pulling away and up by nine in the second half is when Michigan basketball turned on the after-burners. The Wolverines went on a 22-5 run to open it up and effectively put the Red Storm down. It ballooned the lead to 26 which was their largest of the evening. They did it without their head coach again.

Here are three of the takeaways.

1. Dug McDaniel is ascending at a rapid pace

It was another career night for the scintillating sophomore. He seems to be having one of those every time out. He played just about the whole way through too. He’s upped his average from around eight points per game to over 21 a crack in three outings thus far. He’s doing this without his backup being available yet either.

His speed to blow by a defender and court awareness may be second to none in the Big Ten. His crossover is working as well. You can tell that he has really worked hard on his game in the offseason. He’ll be in the discussion, if he isn’t already, for the top player in the conference with Zach Edey.

McDaniel has really blossomed from where he was 365 days ago. He had to learn on the fly as a freshman and performed admirably. The signs were there and now everyone is witnessing it with their own eyes. Once Jaelin Llewellyn returns to the lineup, McDaniel shouldn’t have to do as much, but that narrative is fading fast.