Following a six-game suspension, Dug McDaniel will finally be available for away games.
Point guard Dug McDaniel of the Michigan Wolverines has officially rejoined the team following his six-game road suspension.
Head coach Juwan Howard released a statement saying, “Dug is making good progress and has done what we’ve asked him to do to this point.” Having said that, he will be travelling back to join the team. We are grateful for his efforts and the support of people around him.
In mid-January, McDaniel received a road game suspension. He stated that he would miss six games when he revealed the suspension on Instagram. McDaniel would not travel with the team while he “Work(s) towards meeting several academic goals he has set and needs to meet,” according to a statement released by Howard prior to the team’s defeat at Maryland.
For the Wolverines, not having McDaniel on the road has proven to be a major disadvantage. The Wolverines are 8-14 and have scored 78.1 points per game on average with McDaniel. Michigan is 0–6 without him and averages just 63.7 points per contest.
Despite playing more minutes this year than he did his freshman year, McDaniel has performed admirably. With an average of 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 22 games this season, he leads Michigan in scoring. He also shoots 41.5 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three, and 78.2 percent from the free throw line.
With his quick first step and strong handle to get past his defender and score in the paint or find an open shooter, he has been the offensive catalyst for Michigan. In December, he scored 33 points in overtime against Oregon, which was both his season- and career-high.
The addition of McDaniel for the final two road games of the regular season elevates the Wolverines’ potential and makes them much more exciting, even though they are still solidly in last place in the Big Ten. He’ll receive extra practice with other young players during this lost season, and he may even get to participate in the Big Ten Tournament in mid-March.
McDaniel coming back for away games is a reason to watch this squad, even though some Michigan supporters may have already given up on this season. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will host the Wolverines on Thursday. The game is scheduled to take off in Piscataway at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.
