The Michigan Wolverines did not have a terrible offseason, but they didn’t have a great offseason, either. They have a coach who is sensible enough to not talk a big game. Head coach John Beilein is not gushing about his team. He is talking about the work he has to do to pull his team together. This will be one of the more fascinating teams in the Big Ten this upcoming season.
Offseason Changes
The Wolverines lost their ball-dominant point guard, Derrick Walton, who came of age in the middle of the season and emerged as the kind of force Beilein always thought he could become. Walton was a good, scrappy player in previous seasons, but he was not an ankle-breaking, game-changing wizard. That changed in January of this past season. Walton destroyed opposing point guards and forced defenses to react to him as he got to the paint and then close to the rim. When everyone on the defense would flow to him, he would then kick the ball out to an assortment of shooters. Beilein-coached teams shoot the three-point shot a lot, and Walton made the Michigan arsenal come alive. He will be missed this season.
Two other players who will be missed: D.J. Wilson, who was just beginning to round into form as a dominant big man who could step outside and hit the three, and Zak Irvin, who had an erratic career at Michigan but who became a strong defender and a productive shooter late last season in Michigan’s run to the NCAA Tournament and the Sweet 16. Both players were as good as they were because of Walton’s influence as a distributor and a player who could get defenses out of position, but they also made enough one-on-one plays to be regarded as serious threats in their own right.
Will Succeed If…
Transfers Jaaron Simmons and Charles Matthews make a difference. Because of all the important roster losses this offseason, Beilein needed to replenish the ranks not just through recruiting in a traditional sense, but in recruiting players from other programs to reconsider their options and give Michigan a chance. Simmons is one of those players Beilein led to Ann Arbor, but Matthews stands out because he is a transfer from Kentucky. If he was recruited by John Calipari, he has to have had some potential and upside. If Beilein gets the most out of these players, the chances of Michigan meeting its potential this season go way up.
Won’t Succeed If…
The team gets crushed at the point guard position and suffers from either too many turnovers or deficient ball movement or a combination of both. Walton carried such a large share of the workload last season and played such a large role in other players improving that without him, the halfcourt offense and the larger process of sharing and moving the ball could grind to a halt. At the very least, the team could struggle profoundly in November and December if players don’t step up. Team responsibility for moving the ball will be very important for Beilein at the start of the season.
Roster
Brent Hibbitts
Charles Matthews
Jordan Poole
Zavier Simpson
Isaiah Livers
Jaaron Simmons
Luke Wilson
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman
Moritz Wagner
Fred Wright-Jones
Jon Teske
Duncan Robinson
Ibi Watson
Naji Ozeir
Austin Davis
Eli Brooks
Schedule & Outlook
Featured non-conference games include LSU, North Carolina, UCLA, and Texas. The LSU and Texas games are ones Michigan should feel reasonably confident about, but not UNC or UCLA. This team is a mystery. Last season’s group came together in midseason after a discouraging start. Michigan seemed to be headed for the NIT in December, but then Walton picked up his game in January and transformed everything surrounding him. Michigan can’t depend on that kind of abrupt change. This team has to be better and more alert in November. This looks like a bubble team, but the season could be a lot better or worse – expect a lot of possible outcomes for this team.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
