2022 Michigan Wolverines Season Preview

[BabaYaga]

Ann Arbor, MI – The Michigan Wolverines head into the college basketball season with a lot of hope for success. The recipe for success will always be there as long as the head coach doesn’t look to recruit a single position as the football coach does. Michigan is hoping that a plethora of upperclassmen will be able to lead them to the tournament this season. Below, I take a quick look at the Michigan season before it commences.

 

 

Projected Starters

G - Murat Brooks - SO - B overall

G - Vance Bradley - SO - B overall

F - Barry Clark - JR - A overall

F - David Larson - FR - B overall

C - Fred Mcguire - SR - B overall

 

Key Bench Contributors

C - Emil Krause - JR - B overall

C - Richard Wiggins - SR - C overall

G - Jonathan Spears - JR - C overall

F - William Betsey - SO - C overall

 

Clark is as good of a forward as you can find in the Big Ten and he is going to play a huge role for Michigan. He is a do-it-all forward who is going to be critical on the defensive glass. This team doesn’t have much 3-point shooting but will finish it at a good rate on the inside. I worry a bit about this team because some of their best players are weak defenders. This is a rather young lineup though as they only lose one projected starter.

Non-Conference Schedule

Week 1A: Portland

Week 1B: UConn

Week 2A: @ Louisville

Week 2B: Fordham

Week 3A: Pittsburgh (ACC-B1G Challenge)

Week 3B: @ Utah

Week 4A: Coastal Carolina

Week 4B: Xavier

 

The Wolverines have quite an interesting non-conference schedule. They start off with Portland, who might not win a game this season, and then host UConn. Michigan is the better team in their first five games and then faces off with three of the best teams in college basketball to end their non-conference slate. Michigan should start off the year 5-0. Non-conference projection: Low 4-4, High 5-3.

 

Overall Thoughts

Michigan is going to be a solid, yet unspectacular team, in Big Ten play. They have some talent but just not much depth within their system. I think that some might think that Michigan is going to be a very good team off the bat but their non-conference slate will do them no favors as we get to Selection Sunday. I worry about the Wolverines ability to score the basketball and defend it. Prediction: 12-16 (7-13 B1G)