When you’re chasing championships in college basketball, depth isn’t just a luxury - it’s a necessity. And right now, No. 3 Michigan is showing exactly why.
In their biggest test of the season so far, against No. 5 Nebraska, the Wolverines didn’t lean on a single star to carry them.
Instead, they stuck to what’s become their calling card: a deep, balanced rotation where anyone can step up. This time, it was graduate forward Will Tschetter and freshman guard Trey McKenney who answered the call - and their impact was the difference in a gritty, come-from-behind win.
“We got great contributions off the bench from (McKenney) and (Tschetter),” Michigan head coach Dusty May said postgame. “And when you’re chasing the championship you just have to have different guys step up each and every night.”
That’s been the theme all season for Michigan. Eight players are averaging double-digit minutes, and the Wolverines have made it clear: they’re not riding five guys to the finish line. They’re rolling with whoever’s ready, whenever it matters most.
Against a Nebraska team that came in unbeaten and ranked higher than any opponent Michigan had faced this year, the Wolverines stayed true to form. And when the moment demanded it, McKenney and Tschetter delivered.
Let’s start with McKenney. The freshman guard didn’t log huge minutes in the first half - just six, to be exact - but he made every one of them count.
He knocked down two threes at a 67% clip, helping Michigan weather an early barrage from deep by Nebraska. But even beyond the box score, McKenney’s spacing and presence on the perimeter opened up driving lanes and unclogged the paint, giving the Wolverines more room to operate offensively.
Then came the second half - and with it, the turning point.
Michigan was stuck in a rut, trailing by eight, the offense sputtering. That’s when McKenney drew contact on a three-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws.
It might not have been flashy, but it was a gut-check moment. May called those free throws “probably the biggest points in the game,” and he wasn’t wrong.
Michigan snapped out of its funk, locked in defensively, and started to chip away.
Tschetter, meanwhile, brought his usual steadiness. He made his presence felt early, draining a catch-and-shoot three from the right corner during a stretch when Michigan had managed just 11 points in 10 minutes.
That shot didn’t just stop the bleeding - it sent a message. Tschetter was ready, and his combination of size and shooting touch gave Michigan a different look off the bench that Nebraska struggled to match.
Fast forward to the final seven minutes. After a key defensive stop, Michigan needed points - and they turned again to their bench.
Tschetter, the team’s most reliable free throw shooter not named McKenney, stepped to the line and knocked down both. Just like that, the Wolverines were within a single possession.
Still, it wasn’t all clean for McKenney. He missed a few open looks from three, got blocked at the rim, and had moments where the game seemed a bit too fast. But when it mattered most, the freshman showed poise beyond his years.
With the game tied and under a minute to play, McKenney picked the pocket of Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence, then patiently waited in the corner as the play unfolded. When his defender sagged just a little too far, McKenney called for the ball, attacked the lane, and finished through contact. It wasn’t just a go-ahead bucket - it was the defining play of the game.
“They were just baseline,” McKenney said after the game. “I was open, so I laid it up and (it was) just a beautiful thing to see the ball go in.”
That layup gave Michigan the lead for good and capped off a performance that perfectly encapsulated what this team is all about: depth, trust, and players who rise to the moment.
McKenney and Tschetter might not start, but they’re not just filling minutes - they’re changing games. And in a season where every possession counts, that’s the kind of bench production that separates contenders from everyone else.
Michigan didn’t just beat Nebraska. They reasserted who they are. And if this is the version of the Wolverines we’re getting down the stretch, they’re going to be a problem for anyone standing in their way.