Michigan Wolverines
Big Ten (25-8, 15-3)
Michigan has had an up and down season. After early losses to Iowa State and Charlotte, the Wolverines fell off the radar. But starting in late December, Coach John Beilein rallied his troops to ten straight wins, including consecutive victories over then top ten ranked Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State.
Big Wins: 1/18 at Wisconsin (77-70), 1/25 at Michigan State (80-75), 2/23 Michigan State 79-70)
Bad Losses: 11/24 vs. Charlotte (61-63), 2/2 at Indiana (52-63), 2/8 at Iowa (67-85)
Coach: John Beilein (7 seasons at Michigan)
Why They Can Surprise:
As with any Coach Beilein team, this group can shoot. Nik Stauskas leads the way and connects on over two long balls per contest. But the 6-6 sophomore has developed into more than just a three-point shooter, he also leads the squad in scoring and will use his height to finish around the basket; or at least the charity stripe where he shoots 81.8 percent. Backcourt mates Caris LeVert, Spike Albrecht, Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin all spent most of the year hovering around the 40.0 percent mark when it comes to three-point shooting. Like Stauskas, LeVert is a big guard who can score by getting to the basket. Glenn Robinson III is not opposed to hoisting up some long balls, but he is not as consistent as the rest of the team. But, of course, Robinson does other things extremely well and can be particularly tough to defend, especially when his shot is falling.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Michigan is not going to win many rebounding battles against quality opponents, but that is just how their outside shooting system works. Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford have done an admirable job in the post since Mitch McGary went down with an injury, yet the rebounding skill and consistent interior scoring of McGary has certainly been missed. However, the problems the Wolverines will have in the tournament may not be because of their lack of size. Any team like Michigan that relies so heavily on the three-point shot is one off game away from being eliminated. It is so tough to keep up their shooting through six games. Of course they nearly did it in 2013. This is a young group too. Morgan and Horford are the only upperclassmen in Coach Beilein’s usual eight man rotation. Most of these guys have been involved in a deep NCAA Tournament run, yet the pressure is much different when Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. are no longer around to provide leadership.
Probable Starters:
Derrick Walton Jr., Freshman, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 2.8 apg
Nik Stauskas, Sophomore, Guard, 17.5 ppg, 3.3 apg
Caris LeVert, Sophomore, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 2.8 apg
Glenn Robinson III, Sophomore, Forward, 13.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Jordan Morgan, Senior, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Zak Irvin, Freshman, Guard, 6.7 ppg
Jon Horford, Junior, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Spike Albrecht, Sophomore, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 2.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.5 (65th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.2 (59, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.0 (20, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.2 (202, 12)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (19, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.7 (10, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.3 (7, 1)
Rebound Margin: 1.6 (142, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (61, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.4 (7, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over South Dakota State
2013 NCAA Third Round win over VCU
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Kansas
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida
2013 NCAA National Semifinal win over Syracuse
2013 NCAA National Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Ohio
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Clemson
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma
2007 NIT First Round win over Utah State
2007 NIT Second Round loss to Florida State
2006 NIT First Round win over UTEP
2006 NIT Second Round win over Notre Dame
2006 NIT Quarterly Final win over Miami
2006 NIT Semifinal win over Old Dominion
2006 NIT Final loss to South Carolina
2004 NIT First Round win over Missouri
2004 NIT Second Round win over Oklahoma
2004 NIT Quarterfinal win over Hawaii
2004 NIT Semifinal win over Oregon
2004 NIT Final win over Rutgers
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
