DENVER >> Tre Donaldson isn’t afraid of the moment.

Not when a spot in the Big Ten tournament championship game is on the line. Not when the conference tournament title is on the line. Not when the season is on the line.

Over the past week, Michigan’s starting point guard has delivered one big-time bucket after another in the postseason. His latest clutch performance came in Thursday’s 68-65 win over No. 12 seed UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Not bad for someone whose nickname is “The Gamer.”

“It sure seems applicable,” coach Dusty May said. “He’s made big shot after big shot. He controls the game down the stretch. He gives us an emotional lift. … I feel very, very confident when he’s making plays late in the game.”

Donaldson rose to the occasion once again when UC San Diego stormed back — after erasing a 15-point deficit and taking its first and only lead with 2:29 remaining. At that point, all the momentum and much of the Ball Arena crowd was on the Tritons’ side.

It’s a position May was wary of heading into the matchup because he’s been on the other side of it. When May was at Florida Atlantic and the Owls made a run to the Final Four in 2023 as a No. 9 seed, he felt his team played looser and with more confidence late in tight games. FAU was the underdog. All the pressure was on the opponent.

May didn’t want the Wolverines to fall into the same trap and wilt in those stressful late-game situations. Donaldson wouldn’t allow it.

As UC San Diego made a push and Tyler McGhie scored on three consecutive possessions — the last on a baseline floater that gave the Tritons a two-point advantage — it seemed like things were starting to snowball. At least, that was until Donaldson dashed UCSD’s hopes of an upset by stepping up and knocking down a deep 3-pointer 16 seconds later.

That put Michigan back in front for good and sent the Wolverines into Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round matchup against No. 4 seed Texas A&M.

“When he has that ball screen on the right wing, I know it’s going in,” big man Danny Wolf said. “Tre loves these big-game shots and big-game moments. It’s nice when you have one of those guys on your team.”

Thursday’s act marked the third consecutive postseason game where Donaldson came through in crunch time. In the Big Ten tournament semifinal win over Maryland, he broke a tie game with 28 seconds left with a 3-pointer before he went coast-to-coast and scored the game-winner on a last-second layup.

Donaldson followed that by scoring seven points in the final 3:32 in the low-scoring rock fight against Wisconsin. He hit a lead-changing 3-pointer with 1:54 to play and made two critical free throws with 14 seconds left to help the Wolverines win the conference tournament title.

“(He’s a) big-time confidence player, big-time player in general,” guard Nimari Burnett said. “He lives for those moments. Whenever he has the ball and whenever a play needs to be made at the end of the game, we trust him wholeheartedly, and he delivers 100% of the time.”

Added guard Rubin Jones: “The last two minutes of the game, we get a different Tre.”

In Michigan’s four postseason games, Donaldson has tallied 48 points, 25 assists, 17 rebounds, four steals and seven turnovers, to go along with nine made 3-pointers. When it comes to his offensive output, he’s scored 35 of his points after halftime.

May isn’t a big believer in the notion that a player is built for March. He gives more credit to Donaldson’s intelligence and work ethic. It’s a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.

“He’s certainly put in the work to deserve success in these moments,” May said. “The shots he makes are the shots we see him working on his game religiously and consistently since the day he got here.”

When Donaldson arrived in Ann Arbor after two seasons at Auburn, the nickname he received from Tigers coach Bruce Pearl seemed to stick, and it came with him.

“(Pearl) didn’t like how I practiced. But in the games, he loved how I played. He said, ‘Tre’s not a practice guy. He’s a gamer,’” Donaldson said. “When I came to Michigan, Dusty was the same thing. The first couple of practices he was like, ‘You’re not the same guy in practice. When we compete, you compete.’

“It’s just ‘The Gamer’ coming up and stepping in big-time games and wanting to play in games regardless is something I embody.”

With Donaldson’s clutch play saving the day, the Wolverines wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

“This is me. This is Tre. This is who I am,” Donaldson said. “This is the best I feel like I’ve played in a while. The biggest thing I feel like has translated to me playing that way and being able to make big shots is these guys around me. These guys are instilling confidence in me and relying on me. For me to know that I mean that much to them, it’s amazing.

“My teammates’ ability to trust me in those situations … it’s natural to go with who you trust. They continue to go with me, and I’ve been able to continue to step up and be big for my team.”