Michigan basketball has struggled, in part, because Hunter Dickinson hasn't kept his word

MADISON, Wis. — Hunter Dickinson has done a lot of talking during his time in Ann Arbor.

A lot of dancing. A lot of celebrating. And certainly a lot of pot-stirring.

For three seasons, it has been an accepted and understood part of the package when it comes to the Michigan basketball standout. However demonstrative he may be on the court or outspoken off of it, on most nights, he has been productive.

At 17.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, he is on pace to become the first Wolverine to lead the team in both categories in three straight seasons since Lavell Blanchard 20 years ago.

The two-time All-Big Ten selection and former All-American is 24th in program history in scoring and is on pace to get to 18th — with a shot to get into the top 10 should he return for his senior season.

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He's also tied with Chris Webber at 16th among Wolverines in rebounds and on pace to pass his coach, Juwan Howard, and move to 11th all-time by season's end.

But few Wolverines have matched his capacity for playing the villain to opposing fanbases.

"Hunter is a competitor, he loves the game of basketball," Howard said Tuesday night after the 64-59 loss to Wisconsin when asked if he thinks Dickinson enjoys playing that role. "I love having Hunter, I’ve been with him now for three years.

"I’m in the trenches with Hunter — 24/7."

It's what makes the current situation a conundrum.

Not only does it look like Michigan (14-12, 8-7 Big Ten) will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015, but Dickinson, the 22-year-old junior named a team captain for the first time before this season, bears some of the responsibility.

It's not because his field-goal percentage has dropped for the third straight year or because his free-throw shooting is at a career-low 72.9%. Instead, Dickinson has not kept his word from Big Ten media days in October.

"I think last year I didn’t embrace (leadership) as much, this year I embraced it because I know how important it is for the team and how important if we want to win and be a better team than we were last year, how important the leadership role will be," Dickinson said at the time. "I just got a little more mature with age, something that I didn’t really realize at first, something I didn’t think was as important as it is now."

With the rose-colored glasses of preseason, on that day Howard said it was "beautiful to see how Hunter has grown before my eyes." But when speaking about Dickinson's development as a leader last month, he had a different tone.

"One of the things we’re asking Hunter for him to improve on is leadership in practice as well as in games," Howard said, matter of fact. "That’s part of his growth, he’s not there yet, but he’s embracing it."

Tuesday's defeat, the 10th time U-M has lost this season by less than seven points or in overtime, was just the latest example.

Writing a check with your mouth ...

Michigan had an X on its back as red as a Valentine's Day heart wrapped in Wisconsin apparel when it walked into Kohl Center. It was U-M’s first return to the building since last season’s skirmish when Howard swatted Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft, resulting in a five-game suspension and a $40,000 fine.

But the only person who heard from the pro-Wisconsin crowd worse than Michigan's coach was Dickinson. Badgers fans had been waiting for him since one of his episodes of the "Roundball Podcast" earlier this season.

“Wisconsin, I mean they’re just, they’re just, they’re scumbags," Dickinson said in December. "It is what it is. I’m sorry, they’re just scumbags."

Dickinson seemed to further stoke the flames by arriving to the arena on Tuesday wearing a ski mask to symbolize the win Michigan was about to "steal" and continued his antics throughout the night.

Booed every time he touched the ball Tuesday, the Wolverines center hit what he calls the "Big Dickinson Energy" celebration after a 3-pointer late in the first half, then held a prolonged shrug on the way down the court after he hit a left-handed hook on the following possession late in the half.

The crowd jeered him mightily, which he encouraged, as he walked off at halftime.

"It's just to try to get me even more going," Dickinson said last Friday of his celebrations. "The BDE, it's a lifestyle, man."

He was held scoreless from the floor in the final 20 minutes and was waved off the court by the student section.

'Everyone is not a leader'

This reception wasn't unique to Madison.

He had an equally vitriolic greeting in East Lansing after he said earlier this year (also on his podcast), "You only go to Michigan State if you don't get into Michigan." In January, he also had to distance himself from comments made by somebody else on the podcast which compared MSU coach Tom Izzo to Adolf Hitler.

"Leadership comes in all different ways," Howard said last month. "It comes in practice by how you lead, how you conduct yourself, your energy, effort and voice."

The crowd reaction was the same in College Park. Maryland fans have long had disdain for Dickinson, who has been critical of their program, and former coach Mark Turgeon, for not aggressively recruiting the DMV-region native out of high school.

Although Dickinson performed well in those three games — he had 18 points and seven rebounds against Michigan State, 19 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland and 12 points and 12 rebounds against Wisconsin — U-M went 0-3.

If U-M had won one of those games, its NCAA tournament résumé wouldn't be quite as weak. Two wins would likely have U-M firmly on the bubble. Had it won all three? U-M would all but certainly be dancing again. Instead, that looks unlikely, and who's to say how much fuel he provided the opponent?

Dickinson is an emotional athlete. One way coaches get the most out of their players is by letting them be their authentic selves. But at many times this year he has appeared to be too raw, which has seemingly made things harder on his team.

"Keep in mind, too, everyone is not a leader," Howard said. "Everyone doesn’t know how to lead. And as a coach, you can’t always be that leader for your players, because your voice, if it’s heard a lot, it can get stale."

Howard, who wasn't speaking about anybody in particular when giving an answer on leadership, may have hit the nail on the head about why this season has thus far escaped Michigan.

And why Dickinson is coming up short.

Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.

Next up: State of rivalry

Matchup: Michigan State (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (14-12, 8-7).

Tipoff: 8 p.m. Saturday; Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.

TV/radio: Fox; WJR-AM (760), WWJ-AM (950).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Hunter Dickinson hasn't kept his word this year