Will Tschetter’s Moment: The Unofficial Captain Lifts Michigan in Rivalry Classic
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Will Tschetter has never needed a stitched “C” on his jersey to lead. Anyone around the Michigan basketball program over the past few seasons knows it.
His voice carries in the locker room. His energy is contagious on the court.
And on Friday night, in one of the Wolverines’ biggest wins of the season, it was Tschetter - the fifth-year senior who’s seen it all - who delivered the shot that changed everything.
Let’s rewind a bit.
Tschetter’s journey in Ann Arbor didn’t start with fanfare. He redshirted his first season in 2021-22, never logging a minute of game action.
But even then, coaches saw something special. Former head coach Juwan Howard once said he could see Tschetter becoming a Michigan captain - not because of stats, but because of presence.
He was the guy who brought energy during warmups, who lifted teammates during timeouts, who made his voice heard even when he wasn’t in uniform.
Fast forward four years, and while Michigan under Dusty May doesn’t officially name captains, Tschetter has become exactly what Howard envisioned - a leader in every way that matters.
His path hasn’t been linear. After that redshirt year, Tschetter became a do-it-all bench piece, appearing in 27 games as a redshirt freshman and 31 the next season.
His role shifted constantly - sometimes bulking up to play a small-ball five, other times trimming down to slot in as a wing. Whatever the team needed, he adjusted.
No ego. Just work.
When Howard was let go, Tschetter could’ve transferred. Plenty of players did.
But he stayed. He believed in the program, believed in what it could become under May, and wanted to be part of the rebuild.
“This program has given so much to me,” he said at the time. “I just want to see this program succeed and be a part of something here.”
And he has been - in every sense.
Tschetter played in every game during the 2024-25 campaign, helping guide Michigan from an 8-24 low point to a Big Ten Tournament title and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. He was instrumental in helping May understand the physicality and grit required to compete in the Big Ten. He was the bridge between eras - the steady hand during transition.
And then came Friday night in East Lansing.
Michigan State had clawed all the way back from an 18-point hole. The Breslin Center was shaking.
The Wolverines’ offense had stalled, and even FOX’s Gus Johnson noted they looked “a little lost.” That’s when Tschetter stepped up.
He took a handoff from freshman big man Morez Johnson Jr. on the right wing. MSU’s Carson Cooper ducked under the screen.
Tschetter didn’t hesitate. He rose up from deep - a confident, in-rhythm pull-up - and buried it.
Just like that, Michigan was back in front, 60-59. They never gave the lead back.
“We were stalling a little bit at that point,” Tschetter said afterward on the Michigan radio broadcast. “I’m not going to say we were getting nervous, but we definitely needed something to go right.
Rez and I had a similar action against Nebraska, so we just feel comfortable with that with one another. They went under, and they had to pay.”
Head coach Dusty May didn’t mince words: “The biggest shot of the game.”
Six and a half minutes later, Tschetter walked off the Breslin Center floor a winner - for the first time in his career. He and Nimari Burnett, the only remaining scholarship players from that 8-24 team, took a moment to soak it in.
The turnaround wasn’t a dream. It was real.
“It’s like it doesn’t feel real,” they agreed.
But it was. The win was built on strong performances from up and down the roster - Yaxel Lendeborg, Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr. - all made their mark. But when the moment demanded poise, it was the veteran, the unofficial captain, who delivered.
Will Tschetter’s name may not lead every box score. But in a rivalry game, in a hostile arena, with everything hanging in the balance, he took the shot that mattered most - and made it.