Author: Drew Montag

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this week, and they won it.  On Friday (11/22/2019), they beat Houston Baptist 111-68 in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record is now 4-0.

What Happened?

This one was over early.  Michigan jumped out to 12-2, 26-4, and 38-10 leads in the 1^st half, and HBU never challenged them.  The lead was 37 points (63-26) at halftime, and never dipped below 30 points in the 2^nd half.  The only questions were: would Michigan break 100 points? (yes, easily), and what would the final margin of victory be? (43 points).

HBU is not a very good team, and Michigan played well.  Coach Howard substituted liberally, and played his “deep bench” players with a decent amount of time left.  It was a fun game.

Stats

Things got a little ragged out there a couple of times, with sloppy turnovers and quick 3-point attempts, but the stats are still very impressive.  Michigan shot very well overall (43-for-77 = 55.8%), they shot 3-pointers very well (14-for-29 = 48.3%), and they shot free throws well enough (11-for-16 = 68.8%).  They won the rebounding battle (46-36) and the turnover battle (12-19).  Those are dominating statistics.

Who Started?

The starters were Eli Brooks, Isaiah Livers, Adrien Nuñez, Zavier Simpson, and Jon Teske.

Who Looked Good?

Simpson had a career game, with new career highs in points (22) and assists (14).  He hit 22 points very efficiently (8-for-10 shooting overall, 3-for-4 from 3-point range).  He even had 5 rebounds.

Livers also hit a new career high for points, with 24.  He shot even better than Simpson: 9-for-10 overall, 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

Teske didn’t hit double figures in points (3), but he did have 12 rebounds.

Colin Castleton had his best game so far, with 14 points, a career high.  He also shot very efficiently (6-for-7 overall, 0-for-0 from 3-point range).  More than just the points, he looked solid and confident out there, and played good defense.

David DeJulius was the other Michigan player in double figures, with 10 points.  He shot fairly well (4-for-9 overall, 2-for-4 from 3-point range), and looked good out there.

Brooks played a pretty good game, even though he didn’t quite hit double figures (9 points).  He did have 7 assists, which is good, but he shot pretty poorly (4-for-12 overall, 1-for-2 from 3-point range).

Brandon Johns, Jr. only had 5 points, but he had 8 rebounds and a blocked shot.

Cole Bajema had a career high in points (5) and minutes (13).  He also made the first 3-pointer of his career.

Austin Davis played for 7 minutes, and looked good, with 4 points (on 2-for-3 shooting), 3 rebounds, and NO fouls!

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Nuñez had 8 points, but he shot terribly: 3-for-11 overall, 2-for-10 from 3-point range.

Who Else Played?

Coach Howard played everyone, including 3 minutes for the practice squad.  Just about everyone scored.

C.J. Baird hit another 3-pointer!

Jaron Faulds missed his only field goal attempt, but did hit 2 free throws for his first points at Michigan.

Rico Ozuna-Harrison made a 2-point basket.

Luke Wilson missed both of his field goal attempts, but did get an assist on Rico’s basket.

Who Didn’t Play?

Franz Wagner still has a broken wrist, and didn’t suit up.  He’s out until at least early December.

What Does It Mean?

HBU was an overmatched opponent, so it’s hard to learn much from this game.  It was very encouraging to see Michigan play hard and play well for 40 minutes.  There were a few sloppy moments, but it was usually a result of getting carried away and trying to get too fancy.  When they settled down and played the way they’ve been coached, they looked very good.

The games are about to get harder (see below).  Michigan could face 3 ranked opponents in their next 4 games.  That will tell us a lot more about this team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays three games, in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.  On Wednesday (11/27/2019, 12:00 p.m., ESPN), they play Iowa State.  On Thursday (11/28/2019, 1:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2), they play either the winner or the loser of the Alabama/(#5) North Carolina game.  On Friday (11/29/2019, TBA, ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or ESPNNews), they play one of the teams from the bottom half of the bracket ([#8] Gonzaga, [#11] Oregon, [#13] Seton Hall, and Southern Mississippi).  The complete bracket is here.

Iowa State is currently 3-1, with no significant wins or losses.  They were 23-12 last season, won the Big 12 Tournament, and lost in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament to Ohio State.  They don’t have much height (one 6’10” player, one 6’9” player), and they got about the same mix of upper- and underclassmen as Michigan.  It should be a fairly even matchup.

The other teams represent quite a challenge, with 4 teams in the top 15.  It should be quite the tournament.

Check back next week to see how Michigan did down there.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this week, and they won both of them.  On Tuesday (11/12/2019), they beat Creighton 79-69, then on Friday (11/15/2019), they beat Elon 70-50.  Both games were in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record is now 3-0.

The Creighton game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which are essentially the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.  For the second year in a row, the Big Ten won the challenge, 5-3.

The Elon game was associated with the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament that Michigan is playing in over the Thanksgiving break.  Elon is in what they call the “Mainland Bracket”, which means that they play one game “on the mainland” (as opposed to the Bahamas, where the “Championship Bracket” is played) against one of the “Championship Bracket” teams, in this case Michigan, and then they play 2 other teams in the “Mainland Bracket” at home.

What Happened?

Unlike the season opener against Appalachian State, Michigan played well for 40 minutes against two opponents this week.  They didn’t have a miserable scoring drought like they suffered in the App State game.

The Creighton game was close for the whole 1^st half, with Michigan holding an 8-point lead (31-23) with 6:50 left in the half, and Creighton holding a 3-point lead (41-38) at halftime.  The game was still close with 12:27 left and UM only leading by 4 points (56-52).  Over the next 3 minutes, Michigan went on an 8-3 run to push the lead up to 9 points (64-55), and they managed to keep the lead between 5-12 points the rest of the way, winning by 10.

The Elon game was also close for most of the 1^st half, with Michigan up by only 4 points (26-22) with 2:42 left in the half.  UM closed the half on a 5-0 run to push the lead up to 9 points (31-22) at halftime.  The lead was still only 8 points (34-26) with 18:45 left, when Michigan went on an 11-2 run to push the lead up to 17 points (45-28) with 15:19 left.  Elon never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way, with Michigan winning by 20.

Stats

In the Creighton game, Michigan shot very well overall (30-for-53 = 56.6%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (9-for-23 = 39.1%), and they shot free throws very well (10-for-12 = 83.3%).  They lost the rebounding battle badly (27-38) and the turnover battle as well (11-8).  Not only did UM lose the rebounding battle, they gave up 18 offensive rebounds.  Wow.  That’s an amazing stat for a winning team.

In the Elon game, Michigan shot fairly well overall (28-for58 = 48.3%), they shot 3-pointers fairly well (7-for-23 = 30.4%), and they shot free throws decently (7-for-10 = 70.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (38-31), but lost the turnover battle (10-7).

Who Started?

In both games, the starters were Eli Brooks, Isaiah Livers, Adrien Nuñez, Zavier Simpson, and Jon Teske.

Who Looked Good?

Teske had two nice, solid games, with 17 points vs. Creighton and 16 points vs. Elon.  He also had 7 rebounds in each game.

Simpson also hit double figures in both games, with 17 and 11 points.  He had 9 assists vs. Creighton and 7 vs. Elon.

Livers only hit double figures in one game, with a team-high 22 points vs. Creighton.  He came close in the Elon game, with 9 points.

Brooks also hit double figures in one game (10 points vs. Elon) and came close in the other game (7 points vs. Creighton).

The only other player with a double figures game this week was David DeJulius, with 10 points (and 8 rebounds) vs. Elon.  He came close to double figures in the other game, with 9 points vs. Creighton.  He’s starting to be a force coming off the bench.

Nuñez had 3 and 5 points, including a 3-pointer in each game.

Brandon Johns, Jr. had 2 and 5 points, and looked OK out there.

Colin Castleton had 2 points in each game.  He looked pretty comfortable out there.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one had a bad game.

Who Else Played?

The Creighton game was too close to play any of the non-mainstream players, but the Elon game was well enough in hand that C.J. Baird and Cole Bajema got in for the last minute.  Baird hit a 2-point basket.

Who Didn’t Play?

Franz Wagner still has a broken wrist, and didn’t suit up.  He’s out until at least early December.

Austin Davis was the only “regular” player who didn’t get in.

Baird played, but the rest of the practice squad (Jaron Faulds, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson) didn’t get in.

What Does It Mean?

We can’t learn much from the Elon game, but Creighton is a decent opponent, and Michigan handled them pretty well.  The really encouraging part was the mental aspect: the Michigan players didn’t panic when Creighton went ahead for a while, they just kept playing the game the way they’re supposed to.  They’re learning, and getting better.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game, in Crisler Arena.  On Friday (11/22/2019, 7:00 p.m., BTN-Plus), they play Houston Baptist.  Houston Baptist was 12-18 last season, and they don’t look to be much better this season.  They don’t have much height (one guy at 6’9” and another at 6’10”), and they’ve got a pretty young team.  Michigan should handle them pretty easily.

Come on down to Crisler to check out this season’s team, and stop by Sections 209-210 to say hi.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this week, and they won it.  On Tuesday (11/05/2019), they beat Appalachian State 79-71 in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record is now 1-0.

What Happened?

As the title says, a disaster was (barely) averted.  Michigan almost blew a 30-point lead in the 2^nd half against an obviously inferior opponent.  Almost.  The 1^st half went smoothly, with UM opening up a nice 20-point lead (41-21) with 3:54 left, and pushing it up to 23 points (46-25) at halftime.  The first 5 minutes of the 2^nd half were fine as well, with UM building up a nice, safe, solid 30-point lead, 63-33.  The lead was still 30 points (67-37) with 12:59 left in the game, when the bottom fell out.  Michigan went to sleep on both ends of the court, and allowed ASU to go on a miserable 27-3 run over the next 10:36, which made the score 70-64 with 2:23 left.  During that stretch, Michigan went 1-for-12, with 9 turnovers.  Fortunately, UM woke up in the last 2:23 to seal the victory that almost got away.

Stats

Michigan shot reasonably well overall (29-for-61 = 37.5%), they shot 3-pointers reasonably well (9-for-25 = 36.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (12-for-19 = 63.2%).  They (barely) won the rebounding battle (34-33) and the turnover battle (17-19).

Who Started?

The starters were Zavier Simpson, Eli Brooks, Adrien Nuñez, Isaiah Livers, and Jon Teske.

Who Looked Good?

Brooks was the leading scorer, with a career-high 24 points.  He shot a decent percentage overall (7-for-15) and from 3-poiht range (5-for-11).

Teske had a double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds), but was only a factor in the 1^st half, when he had 15 points and 11 rebounds, which means he only scored 2 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in the 2^nd half.

Livers was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 14 points.  He played hard, but just wasn’t very hot.

Colin Castleton almost hit double figures, with 8 points.  He looked pretty comfortable out there.

Nuñez had 5 points, including a 3-pointer that was the only points UM got in the 27-3 ASU run.

Brandon Johns, Jr. had 5 points, and looked OK out there.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

David DeJulius played 28 minutes, and scored 0 points on 0-for-3 shooting.

Who Else Played?

When Michigan got ahead by 30 points with 13 minutes left in the game, I expected to see a bunch of subs, but then UM frittered away almost all of that lead, and Coach Howard had to keep his starters in the game until the very end.  So, this game featured a “short bench”.

Who Didn’t Play?

Franz Wagner still has a broken wrist, and didn’t suit up.  He’s out for at least another month.

Cole Bajema and Austin Davis were the only 2 “regular” players who didn’t get in.

The practice squad (C.J. Baird, Jaron Faulds, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson) didn’t get in.

What Does It Mean?

The good news: Michigan is good/talented/poised enough to dominate a lesser opponent and open up a 30 point lead in 27 minutes.

The bad news: Michigan is young/inexperienced/fragile enough to lose most of a 30-point lead in 13 minutes.

The games are going to start getting tougher very soon, and the “good” Michigan team better show up.  The “young” Michigan team will get spanked.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays 2 games, both in Crisler Arena.  On Tuesday (11/12/2019, 6:30 p.m., FS1), they play Creighton, then on Friday (11/15/2019, 7:00 p.m., BTN), they play Elon.  The Creighton game is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which is essentially the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.  The Elon game is associated with the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament that Michigan is playing in over the Thanksgiving break.  Elon is in what they call the “Mainland Bracket”, which means that they play one game “on the mainland” (as opposed to the Bahamas, where the “Championship Bracket” is played) against one of the “Championship Bracket” teams, in this case Michigan, and then they play 2 other teams in the “Mainland Bracket” at home.

Creighton was 20-15 last season, and went to the NIT.  They have some height (2 players at 6’11”), they have 5 of their top 6 scorers from last season returning, and they shoot a lot of 3-pointers.  This will be a good test for Michigan.

Elon was 11-21 last season, and they don’t look to be much better this season.  They don’t have much height (2 players at 6’8”), and they’ve got a pretty young team.  Michigan should handle them pretty easily, but that’s what I said about Appalachian State.

Come on down to Crisler to check out this season’s team, and stop by Sections 209-210 to say hi.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played their first and only exhibition game on Friday (11/01/2019) in Crisler Arena, and they pounded poor Saginaw Valley State University 82-51.  Since it was only an exhibition game, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.

What Happened?

Michigan led the whole game, jumping out to a 10-point lead right away, and stretching it to 14 points (26-12) midway through the 1^st half.  Then they fell asleep, and let SVSU creep back into the game with some sloppy offense and indifferent defense.  With 2:13 left in the half, Michigan’s lead was down to 2 points (31-29), and the crowd was getting uneasy.  Fortunately, Michigan woke up and finished the half with a 10-0 run, to make the score more comfortable (41-29).  They continued the run into the 2^nd half, and pushed the lead to 20 (58-38), then 30 and more.  The 2^nd half was never close.

Stats

Michigan shot pretty poorly overall (25-for-61 = 41.0%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (9-for-31 = 29.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (23-for-30 = 76.7%).  They won the rebounding battle (44-40) and the turnover battle (11-20).

Who Started?

The starters were Zavier Simpson, Eli Brooks, Adrien Nuñez, Isaiah Livers, and Jon Teske.

Note: I missed it when Livers switched his number from #4 (the last 2 seasons) to #2 (this season).  He wore #2 in high school, and it was his preferred number, but he let Jordan Poole wear it the last 2 seasons.  Now that Poole is in the NBA, Livers got it back.

Who Looked Good?

Livers was the leading scorer, with 20 points.  He shot a good percentage overall (7-for-11) and from 3-poiht range (4-for-8).

Brooks had a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  He had a terrible overall shooting percentage (1-for-7), but the only shot he hit was a 3-pointer (1-for-4).  He was tremendous from the free-throw line (10-for-10).

Brandon Johns, Jr. was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 12 points, on good shooting (4-for-5 overall, 2-for-3 from deep).

Simpson didn’t hit double figures in points (7), but he did have 11 assists.

Nuñez was the only other Michigan player to make a 3-pointer.  He had 7 points on poor shooting (2-for-6 overall, 1-for-5 from deep).

Teske didn’t score much (6 points), but he did have 9 rebounds.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Cole Bajema only played 5 minutes, missed his only shot (a 3-point attempt), and made a free throw, for 1 point.  He didn’t play badly, he just didn’t do much.

Colin Castleton played 17 minutes, and scored 6 points on 2-for-5 shooting.  He had 3 rebounds.  He didn’t play badly, he just didn’t do much.

Austin Davis only played 6 minutes, and made his only shot (a dunk) and a free throw, for 3 points.  He didn’t play badly, he just didn’t do much.

David DeJulius played 24 minutes, and scored 5 points on 2-for-9 shooting.  After his performance in the “secret” scrimmage and the open practice, I expected a lot more from him.

Who Else Played?

Coach Howard emptied the bench for the final 3 minutes, so 4 players from the practice squad got to play: C.J. Baird, Jaron Faulds, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson.  Rico made the only basket, for 2 points.

Who Didn’t Play?

Franz Wagner has a broken wrist, and didn’t suit up.

What Does It Mean?

It’s hard to learn much from an exhibition game against an overmatched opponent.  We saw improvement from last season for some players (Johns and Nuñez), and unimpressive outings from others (Castleton and DeJulius).  We saw about what we expected from the upperclassmen (Simpson, Teske, Livers, and Brooks).  We didn’t see enough of the lone healthy freshman (Bajema) to make any judgement.

What’s Next?

Michigan’s first real game is Tuesday (11/05/2019, 7:00 p.m., BTN) vs. Appalachian State, in Crisler Arena.  ASU was 11-21 last season, and they don’t figure to be much better this season.  They don’t have anyone taller than 6’9” on their roster, and they’re pretty young.  Michigan should be able to handle them pretty easily.

Go Blue!

Yes, it’s that time already: college basketball season.  The University of Michigan men’s basketball team’s first game is this Friday (11/01/2019) in Crisler Arena at 7:00 p.m.  It’s an exhibition vs. Saginaw Valley State.  Also, the team has an open practice tonight (Monday, 10/28/2019, 6:00 p.m.) in Crisler.

Here’s my standard description of this weekly column:

Yeah, it’s time for University of Michigan men’s basketball, and this is the place to read all about it: “Nothing But ‘Net” on UMGoBlue.com.  Check back every Monday morning between now and the end of the season for a quick, concise wrap-up of the previous week, and a look ahead at the upcoming week, all in one easy-to-read article.

As always here at UMGoBlue.com, the perspective is “by fans, for fans”.  I’m a fan (since 1974), and I go to all the home games, and watch/listen to all the away games.  I don’t have any special access (other than being an usher in Sections 209-210), I don’t go to the press conferences, and I don’t interview high school recruits.   I see the same things you do, and write about them as a fan.

This is a special season for me, since this is my 20^th season writing for UMGoBlue.com.  My first article was posted on 12/04/1999, describing Michigan’s victory over Chattanooga.  I’ll post a special article on 12/04/2019, looking back on the last 20 years in Michigan basketball.

In the meantime, there’s a LOT to talk about.  It was a very busy off-season, with lots of surprises and changes.  Let’s get to it.

Executive Summary

The big question: how good is Michigan going to be this season?

The big answer: it’s hard to guess, with all the changes (see below), but I’m going to say “not as good as last year, but not bad”.

What’s New?

Wow, there’s so much to talk about:

• A new head coach
• Several new assistant coaches
• Several semi-unexpected player departures
• One unexpected incoming freshman de-commitment
• One unexpected incoming freshman commitment

Head Coach

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last 5 months, I’m sure you’ve already heard that Michigan’s former coach, John Beilein, suddenly announced on 05/13/2019 that he was leaving his job at UM to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.  It was a huge surprise, and no one saw it coming.  Even though it was a big, shocking surprise, he left the University on good terms, and I’m sure most fans will join me in wishing him well.  I know that I’m going to miss him.  He did things the right way, and he represented the University with honor and class.

It didn’t take Michigan long to find a very interesting replacement for Beilein: on 05/22/2019, former Michigan player Juwan Howard was hired as the new head coach.  Juwan was a member of the famous “Fab Five” teams from 1991-1994, before playing for 19 seasons in the NBA, then working as an assistant coach in the NBA for 5 seasons.  Even though he has never been a head coach at any level, I’m expecting him to do very well as Michigan’s new head coach.

Assistant Coaches

When you get a new head coach, you usually get some new assistant coaches, and that’s what happened this off-season.  Coach Howard hung onto Saddi Washington, but he lost DeAndre Haynes and Luke Yaklich, replacing them with Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley.  Martelli was the head coach at St. Joseph’s for the last 24 years, and Eisley has 10 years of assistant coaching experience in the NBA.  I’m sure they’ll both do a fine job.

Player Departures

This is what I hate most about college basketball: the coaches work hard to evaluate hundreds of high school players, sometimes even abroad, and carefully pick out the players that they think will work out the best for their team.  They spend years chasing these players, and finally get them on the team.  They teach them and develop them, and finally get them to perform at an elite level, and “poof”, off they go to the NBA Draft with 1-3 years of eligibility left.  I hate that.  Beilein was the best coach I’ve ever seen at finding underappreciated talent and developing it, and he was rewarded over and over again by players leaving school early for the NBA.  I’m sure that was one of the reasons he finally left college basketball for the NBA.

So, who left early this off-season?  Well, Charles Matthews, but that was expected.  The two other players who left early were not particularly expected: Iggy Brazdeikis and Jordan Poole.  Iggy was the first “one and done” in a long time at Michigan, and Poole still had two years of eligibility left.  If Iggy and Poole had come back for the 2019-2020 season, Michigan would be a Big Ten and national contender.  Without them?  Not so much.

De-Commitment

When Beilein announced that he was leaving for Cleveland, one of the two players committed to Michigan for the 2019-2020 season de-committed: Jalen Wilson.  He eventually chose Kansas, where he will probably sit and watch the postseason if the Jayhawks are banned from postseason play.

Commitment

The only good news in the off-season was the surprise signing of Moe Wagner’s younger brother, Franz, as an incoming freshman for the 2019-2020 season.  He may or may not be as good as Jalen Wilson, but he’s going to be pretty good, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Who’s Coming Back?

After all the talk about who left, it’s time to talk about who’s coming back.  Michigan has the core of a very good team, but much will depend on the development of the returning role players.  The Wolverines are all set at point guard (Zavier Simpson), center (Jon Teske), and power forward (Isaiah Livers), but the other two positions (shooting guard and small forward) are up in the air.  There are good candidates for both positions, and decent backups for all five spots, but the key this season is going to be the incoming sophomores.  Other than Iggy, they didn’t contribute very much very consistently, and they need to step up now.

Let’s look at the returning players on the team:

Sophomore Eligibility

Colin Castleton #11 (6’11”, 235 pounds, F/C) – Colin played in 19 games last season, and scored 21 points.  He hit double figures once (11 points vs. Nebraska), and missed all 3 of his 3-point shots.  He looked like he was starting to “get it”, then he regressed back to “lost freshman” mode.  He really needs to step up this season.  With Teske graduating after this season, Colin is going to be the starting center next season, and he needs to get ready.  Hopefully, with a former center (Juwan Howard) as a coach, he’ll develop into a solid Big Ten center.

David DeJulius #0 (6’0”, 190 pounds, G) – David played in 25 games last season, and scored 14 points.  He only scored more than 2 points once (4 points vs. Villanova), and shot 1-for-15 from 3-point range.  He looked fairly comfortable out there, but he never did anything impressive, he just filled up space.  Just like Castleton, he needs to step up this season, because he’s going to be the starting point guard next season.  A lot will depend on how quickly he can pick up Coach Howard’s new offensive system.

Brandon Johns, Jr. #23 (6’8”, 235 pounds, F) – Brandon played in 28 games last season, and scored 22 points.  He had one good game (8 points vs. Indiana), and shot 1-for-3 from 3-point range.  Like Castleton, he looked like he was starting to “get it”, then he regressed back to “lost freshman” mode.  He was supposed to be the second most “college-ready” of the freshmen, after Iggy.  He’ll get another chance this season.  With his height, he’s more of a small forward than a center.

Adrien Nuñez #5 (6’6”, 210 pounds, G) – Adrien played in 20 games last season, and scored 3 points.  His only points were vs. Indiana, on a 3-pointer.  He was supposed to be the best 3-point shooter in the freshman class, but he shot 1-for-13 from deep.  He needs to be a dependable shooter or he’s going to slide to the end of the bench.

Junior Eligibility

C.J. Baird #24 (6’5”, 225 pounds, F) – C.J. played in 13 games last season, and scored 9 points, all on 3-pointers.  He shot 3-for-8 from deep.  He’s on the scout team, and will only play in “garbage time”.

Eli Brooks #55 (6’1”, 185 pounds, G) – Eli started last season as the most pleasant surprise of the season, but he really tailed off once the Big Ten season started.  He played in all 37 games, and scored 91 points (2.5 points/game).  He shot pretty well (37.8% overall, 29.2% from 3-point range), but he had way too many 0-point games.

Austin Davis #51 (6’10”, 250 pounds, F/C) – Austin started last season slow, and went downhill from there.  He played in 25 games, and scored 25 points, with a high game of 6 points vs. Chattanooga.  He did shoot a nice percentage for the season (12-for-19 = 63.2%), but he had problems with committing silly fouls, and seemed a step slow out there.  He was supposed to be a solid backup for Teske at center, but he was passed by a pair of true freshmen (Castleton and Johns) and Isaiah Livers on the depth chart.

Isaiah Livers #4 (6’7”, 235 pounds, F) – Last season, Isaiah was a big contributor to Michigan’s success.  He played in 35 games, and started 3 of them, but he was really Michigan’s sixth man, and he usually sparked the team when he came in.  He played center much of the time, which allowed Michigan to play “small ball” and push the tempo a little more.  He scored 278 points (7.9 points/game), and had the best 3-point shooting percentage on the team (52-for-122 = 42.6%).

Rico Ozuna-Harrison #14 (5’11”, 175 pounds, G) – Rico didn’t play in the 2018 portion of last season, and he only played in 2 games, took 1 shot, and missed it.  He’s on the scout team, and will only play in “garbage time”.

Luke Wilson #32 (6’0”, 175 pounds, G) – Luke only played in 10 games last season, took 3 shots, and missed them all.  He’s on the scout team, and will only play in “garbage time”.

Senior Eligibility

Zavier Simpson #3 (6’0”, 190 pounds, G) – Last season, Zavier didn’t score much (8.8 points/game), and his shooting percentages weren’t very good (43.4% overall, 30.8% from deep), but he did have the most assists (244) and steals (53) on the team by far.  He does a great job running the offense, and he is tenacious on defense.  This is his team, and his leadership will determine how they do.

Jon Teske #15 (7’1”, 260 pounds, C) – Last season, Jon did a good job taking over as the starting center, and he does some things very well, but he’s not a complete player.  He was the 4^th leading scorer on the team (9.5 points/game), and he shot very well overall (52.1%) and pretty well from 3-point range (29.9%).  He led the team in rebounds (259) and blocks (75).  On the other hand, he’s not as quick or nimble as Isaiah Livers, and he had trouble defending smaller, more agile “stretch 5s”.  Still, it’s nice to have a 7’1” guy out there protecting the rim.  He’s the other “leadership guy” on the team.

Who’s New?

Michigan brought in two scholarship freshman (Cole Bajema and Franz Wagner), and gets the services of a transfer player who sat out last season (Jaron Faulds):

Cole Bajema #22 (6’7”, 175 pounds, G) – Cole is a 4-star forward from Lynden, WA.  He’s got a sweet 3-point shot, and he can score in bunches.  At 175 pounds, he needs some time in the weight room to play in the Big Ten.

Jaron Faulds #44 (6’10”, 240 pounds, F) – Jaron had to sit out last season as a transfer player from Columbia.  He played one season at Columbia, so he’ll have sophomore eligibility.  He is a preferred walk on, not a scholarship player, and he’s on the scout team, and will probably only play in “garbage time”.

Franz Wagner #21 (6’8”, 205 pounds, G) – Franz is the younger brother of Moe Wagner, and he’s got Moe’s “basketball IQ”, but not Moe’s body or skillset.  He’s a different kind of player, more perimeter-oriented, with a nice 3-point shot.  We’ll have to see how quickly he can adapt to US college basketball.  Unfortunately, Franz broke his wrist in preseason practice, so he’ll miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season.  Maybe he’ll be ready by early December.

Starting Lineup/Depth Chart

As I mentioned above, three of the positions are pretty solid, with two up in the air.  My guess:

Point guard: Simpson (backups: DeJulius and Brooks)

Shooting guard: Wagner (backups: Brooks, Bajema, and Nuñez)

Small forward: Johns (backups: Bajema, Livers, and Wagner)

Power forward: Livers (backups: Johns and Castleton)

Center: Teske (backups: Castleton, Livers, Johns, and Davis)

Last Season

From last season’s Wrap-Up article:

Michigan started strong, winning their first 17 games, a new program record.  Along the way, they won some big games impressively: at (#8) Villanova 73-46, vs. Providence 66-47 on a neutral court, at home vs. (#11) North Carolina 84-67, at home vs. (#19) Purdue 76-57, and at home vs. (#21) Indiana 74-63.  Villanova, UNC, and Purdue all went on to have good seasons, so these wins held up as impressive.

On the surface, the hot start looks like a big accomplishment, but when you dig a little deeper, you can see that it cost UM dearly in the long run.  Instead of building up Michigan’s confidence, the 17-game winning streak really messed with their heads.  The pressure got to them, and they started playing “not to lose”, instead of “playing to win”.  It all came crashing down when they went into Madison and looked terrible against a so-so Wisconsin team, losing 64-54.  They were still shaken the next game, barely beating an even less talented Minnesota squad 59-57 in Ann Arbor.  They looked a little better the next two games, beating Indiana on the road 69-46, and Ohio State in Ann Arbor 65-49, but that was their last 3-game winning streak.  The rest of the season they went L-W-W, five times:

• Lost at Iowa 74-59, won at Rutgers 77-65, won at home vs. (#19) Wisconsin 61-52.
• Lost at Penn State 75-69, won at home vs. (#24) Maryland 65-52, won at Minnesota 69-60.
• Lost at home to (#10) Michigan State 77-70, won at home vs. Nebraska 82-53, won at (#17) Maryland 69-62.
• Lost at (#9) Michigan State 75-63, beat Iowa on a neutral court 74-53, beat Minnesota on a neutral court 76-49.
• Lost to (#6) Michigan State on a neutral court 65-60, beat Montana on a neutral court 74-55, beat Florida on a neutral court 64-49.

That takes us to the Sweet Sixteen loss vs. Texas Tech.  Michigan just couldn’t get any momentum going after the loss at Wisconsin.  The win in Ann Arbor over Wisconsin was satisfying, and the wins over Maryland (twice) and Iowa were impressive, but the loss at Penn State was devastating, and the three losses in three weeks to MSU were very deflating.

This Season

Let’s look at Michigan’s schedule for this season:

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)
11/01/2019 (Fri)	Saginaw Valley State (exh)	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
11/05/2019 (Tue)	Appalachian State	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
Gavitt Tipoff Games – Big East/Big Ten Challenge
11/12/2019 (Tue)	Creighton	Ann Arbor, MI	6:30 p.m.
Battle 4 Atlantis – Mainland Bracket
11/15/2019 (Fri)	Elon	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
11/22/2019 (Fri)	Houston Baptist	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
Battle 4 Atlantis – Championship Games
11/27/2019 (Wed)	Iowa State	Paradise Island, Bahamas	12:00 p.m.
11/28/2019 (Thu)	Alabama/North Carolina	Paradise Island, Bahamas	1:30/6:30 p.m.
11/29/2019 (Fri)	Finals/Consolation	Paradise Island, Bahamas	TBA
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
12/03/2019 (Tue)	Louisville	Louisville, KY	7:00/7:30 p.m.
12/06/2019 (Fri)	Iowa	Ann Arbor, MI	6:30 p.m.
12/11/2019 (Wed)	Illinois	Champaign, IL	9:00 p.m.
12/14/2019 (Sat)	Oregon	Ann Arbor, MI	12:00 p.m.
12/21/2019 (Sat)	Presbyterian	Ann Arbor, MI	12:00 p.m.
12/29/2019 (Sun)	UMass-Lowell	Ann Arbor, MI	2:00 p.m.
01/05/2020 (Sun)	Michigan State	East Lansing, MI	1:30/4:30 p.m.
01/09/2020 (Thu)	Purdue	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
01/12/2020 (Sun)	Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	1:00 p.m.
01/17/2020 (Fri)	Iowa	Iowa City, IA	9:00 p.m.
01/22/2020 (Wed)	Penn State	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
01/25/2020 (Sat)	Illinois	Ann Arbor, MI	12:00 p.m.
01/28/2020 (Tue)	Nebraska	Lincoln, NE	7:00 p.m.
02/01/2020 (Sat)	Rutgers	New York, NY	4:30 p.m.
02/04/2020 (Tue)	Ohio State	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
02/08/2020 (Sat)	Michigan State	Ann Arbor, MI	12:00 p.m.
02/12/2020 (Wed)	Northwestern	Evanston, IL	9:00 p.m.
02/16/2020 (Sun)	Indiana	Ann Arbor, MI	1:00 p.m.
02/19/2020 (Wed)	Rutgers	Piscataway, NJ	7:00 p.m.
02/22/2020 (Sat)	Purdue	West Lafayette, IN	2:00 p.m.
02/27/2020 (Thu)	Wisconsin	Ann Arbor, MI	7:00 p.m.
03/01/2020 (Sun)	Ohio State	Columbus, OH	4:00 p.m.
03/05/2020 (Thu)	Nebraska	Ann Arbor, MI	6:30 p.m.
03/08/2020 (Sun)	Maryland	College Park, MD	12:00 p.m.
Big Ten Tournament
03/11/2020 (Wed)	1st Round	Indianapolis, IN	TBA
03/12/2020 (Thu)	2nd Round	Indianapolis, IN	TBA
03/13/2020 (Fri)	Quarterfinals	Indianapolis, IN	TBA
03/14/2020 (Sat)	Semifinals	Indianapolis, IN	TBA
03/15/2020 (Sun)	Championship	Indianapolis, IN	TBA

Some comments on the schedule:

• There are several good teams in the Battle 4 Atlantis: Iowa State, North Carolina, Gonzaga, and Oregon.  It will be a challenging tournament.
• Playing at Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is going to be extremely challenging.
• The two Big Ten games (Iowa and Illinois) early in December are a result of a 20-game Big Ten schedule.
• The home game against Oregon is the best home non-conference opponent.  It will also be a challenging game.
• The rest of the non-conference opponents are cupcakes.
• The toughest stretch in the Big Ten schedule is the Michigan State (away), Purdue (home), Minnesota (away), Iowa (away) section, the first four games of 2020.  If Michigan can win 3 of those 4 games, they should be in good shape.
• Each Big Ten team plays 6 teams once (3 home/3 away) and 7 teams twice, for a total of 20 games.  This season, Michigan plays:
  • Once: Minnesota (away), Penn State (home), Northwestern (away), Indiana (home), Wisconsin (home), Maryland (away).
  • Twice: Iowa, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska, Rutgers, Ohio State.

Expectations

I like to divide the games up into 3 categories (“Should Win”, “Should Lose”, and “Toss Up”):

• Should Win (12) – Appalachian State, Creighton, Elon, Houston Baptist, Presbyterian, UMass-Lowell, Penn State, Illinois (home), Nebraska (twice), Rutgers (twice).
• Should Lose (4) – Louisville, Michigan State (twice), Purdue (away).
• Toss Up (15) – Iowa State, Atlantis 2^nd round, Atlantis 3^rd round, Iowa (twice), Illinois (away), Oregon, Purdue (home), Minnesota, Ohio State (twice), Northwestern, Indiana, Wisconsin, Maryland.

If UM can win all 12 of the “Should Win” games, and just over half (8) of the 15 “Toss Up” games, that would give them a record of 20-11 (12-8 in the Big Ten).  That should be good enough to get UM into the NCAA Tournament, depending on how they do in the Big Ten Tournament.

This Week

As you can see in the schedule above, Michigan’s first (exhibition) game is Friday (11/01/2019, 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus) vs. Saginaw Valley State.  Of course, UM will win handily and get to try all kinds of combinations of players out there.  Come on down to Crisler Arena to check out this season’s edition of Michigan Basketball, and stop by sections 209/210 to say hi.

Go Blue!