Michigan's Tre Donaldson holds key to NCAA run

The big picture: The Wolverines (25-9) have been a Jekyll and Hyde team under first-year coach Dusty May.

• They showed their best last weekend by winning the Big Ten Tournament — partly thanks to Donaldson's unlikely game-winner against Maryland in the semis.
• Before that, U of M finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak that culminated in a 79-62 drubbing in East Lansing.
• Donaldson, the team's third-leading scorer at 11.6 points per game, was benched for the final 13 minutes against MSU, the Free Press reported.

What they're saying: "When you look at our most productive games … it's when Tre was running our team at a high level," May said before the conference tournament.

Catch up quick: Donaldson transferred to Michigan last offseason after two years at Auburn, where he was also offered to play football.

• Donaldson shot 38% from deep on the season and is an emotional leader on the court.

The other side: Michigan's first-round game against UCSD has "high upset potential," our colleagues at Axios San Diego write.

• UCSD (30-4) owned the Big West all season, ranked 35th overall in NET ratings and is riding a 15-game win streak.

The bottom line: U of M needs Donaldson to maintain his postseason momentum to avoid a potential upset tonight.