Michigan Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

Similar to the way John Beilein’s teams like to chuck up 3-pointers and see the scoreboard do some fast math, let’s do some quick Wolverines addition to figure out how Beilein’s third year in Ann Arbor might turn out.

For starters, Michigan won 21 games last year and earned the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998. Michigan retains its top five scorers from that team. The top two scorers—junior guard Manny Harris and senior forward DeShawn Sims—appear on the John Wooden Award’s national Top 50 watch list.

It’s fair to say expectations are high at Michigan—and the Wolverines find themselves with a brutal pre-conference schedule that should prepare them for the Big Ten as well as a potential run beyond the NCAA Tournament’s second round. Like a hungry man at a buffet, Beilein found himself unable to turn down the temptation to sample some of the nation’s most tempting treats.

“You have so many returning players coming back, and we were presented with opportunities,” Beilein told the Detroit Free Press. “Throw in UConn and Kansas and (Boston College in the) ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Stop, my stomach hurts.”

   But by playing the nation’s elite so often, Beilein figures his guys will have an easier time learning what it takes to join their ranks. As exhilirating as last year’s ride happened to be, Michigan shared seventh place in the Big Ten. There’s still some room between the Wolverines and, say, their national-runner up neighbors in East Lansing.

“If you look at the really good programs, they are continually trying to get a better seed in the tournament, trying to jockey into position,” Beilein told AnnArbor.com. “To get into the tournament right now is a reasonable goal and to advance after that.”

Michigan doesn’t have a ton of questions to answer at the season’s outset. The graduated C.J. Lee and the departed Kelvin Grady took some valuable point-guard experience with them, so sophomore Stu Douglass and freshman Darius Morris need to fill in those gaps. Regardless of who starts at the point, though, the ball will spend a lot of time in Harris’ hands. The all-Big Ten pick led the Wolverines last year in scoring (16.9 ppg), assists (154), turnovers (110) and steals (43). He was one rebound behind Sims for the team lead as they both averaged 6.8 per game.

NOTES, QUOTES

  —G Manny Harris and F DeShawn Sims showed up on the John Wooden Award’s preseason Top 50 watch list, making Michigan one of three Big Ten schools (joining Michigan State and Purdue) to have multiple qualifiers for the list. Harris averaged 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last year to earn first-team all-Big Ten status while Sims produced 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds to make the second team.

• During regular-season play, Michigan finished first in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in 3-point goals with 285. The Wolverines added 20 more 3-pointers during their two NCAA Tournament games to finish with a school-record 305 3s. Considering Michigan returns its top four 3-pointers (Manny Harris, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass each made 52), it’s fair to say the Wolverines could improve on last year’s numbers.

• Michigan is a consensus Top 25 preseason pick. Here’s a sampling of the rankings: Lindy’s magazine pegs the Wolverines on the high end at No. 9, while FOXSports.com analyst Jeff Goodman has them at No. 18 and Blue Ribbon Yearbook slots them at No. 22.

   LAST YEAR: 21-14 overall, 9-9 in the Big Ten; lost in second round of the NCAA Tournament.

   HEAD COACH: John Beilein (career 582-354); 3rd year at Michigan (31-36).

   QUOTE TO NOTE: “Hopefully, we get used to that type of image that there are high expectations here. Because no one has higher expectations than I do.”—Michigan coach John Beilein on AnnArbor.com.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

   SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Michigan welcomes six freshmen, including two who accepted preferred walk-on status, to a team that retained its top five scorers from a 21-win group. That suggests there might not be endless playing time available, but point guard Darius Morris (Los Angeles), who led his school to its first state title, and sharpshooter Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest, Ill.) certainly have skills that will come in handy immediately. Promising power forward Jordan Morgan needed knee surgery to fix some cartilage, so he’ll either join the fray later in the season or take a redshirt. Six-foot-10 freshman forward Blake McLimans has the blend of size, wing span and shooting range that coach John Beilein loves. Ann Arbor native Eso Akunne and suburban Chicago standout Josh Bartelstein (son of powerful NBA agent Mark Bartelstein) round out the newcomers.

   KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: The Wolverines are saving their annual Connecticut game for a bye week in January, but there are enough pre-conference challenges to keep them on their toes. For example, Michigan visits preseason No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 19. There’s also neutral-floor games with Creighton (Nov. 26) and either Marquette or Xavier (Nov. 27) in Orlando, a home date with Boston College for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Dec. 2) and a trip to Utah (Dec. 9).

   PROGRAM DIRECTION: When John Beilein moved to Michigan after the 2006-07 season, everyone knew it would be a matter of time before the Wolverines started rolling. But most people figured it would take a little longer for the team’s personnel to match Beilein’s style. Obviously U-M has fast-forwarded those expectations with last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance and first-round win. That might be the floor for future Michigan squads.

   PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Laval Lucas-Perry, SG Stu Douglass, SG Manny Harris, SF Zack Novak, PF DeShawn Sims.

   ROSTER REPORT:

• C Ben Cronin has recovered from hip surgery in January, which means the Wolverines will have their biggest presence available from the start. The 7-foot, 265-pound redshirt freshman posted 8 points and 5 rebounds in his 2 games last season.

• PF Jordan Morgan underwent knee surgery in July and might not recover sufficiently to help Michigan this season. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Morgan told the Detroit News that a redshirt year could become a reality depending on how his rehab plays out.

• G Eso Akunne was an invited walk-on after finishing fifth in Michigan’s Mr. Basketball voting. But the Ann Arbor native received an even better deal early in the school year when John Beilein offered him a one-year scholarship.