Michigan soared to the top spot of the polls last week, but once there, in a severe test at Indiana Saturday night, they didn't pass for the same reason they lost at Ohio State earlier this season: Two of their prized freshmen had subpar games.

Nik Sauskas

Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas are tremendous players. When they play well, so do the Wolverines collectively. When they don't play well, Michigan struggles.

Glenn Robinson III

At Indiana, Robinson played 40 minutes and took just six shots. He didn't score until a meaningless breakaway dunk late in the game. It was almost as if he wasn't on the floor. At Ohio State, he played 38 minutes and had just one rebound. In 78 minutes at Ohio State and Indiana, Robinson has taken only 14 shots. Part of the reason is he must move better without the ball. Part of it is getting him more involved in the offense. That falls on Michigan's coaches and point guard Trey Burke, who has played brilliantly, but there have been too many instances when his teammates are standing around at tight times of these tough road tests, expecting Burke to just do it. The Wolverines will perform much better in these situations if there is flow in their offense.
Stauskas is one of the most-gifted 3-point shooters ever in the Big Ten.. That much, already, is evident, but he hasn't hit his shots in these big road games (1-for-8 behind the 3-point line at Ohio State and at Indiana, combined).
Freshman Mitch McGary has performed admirably in these games, running the floor exceptionally well for his size and finishing near the basket.
But if the Wolverines are going to win the Big Ten regular season and/or Big Ten Tournament titles, or take a deep run in the NCAA tournament, they need much better production than they received from Robinson III and Stauskas in their first severe Big Ten road tests. The next such game: A week from Tuesday at Michigan State, which follows a relatively testy encounter Saturday night at Wisconsin. The Wolverines play Ohio State at home Tuesday, but Stauskas and Robinson have played much better at home against similar competition.