2010-11 College Basketball Season Preview: Michigan

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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MISSING
Michigan (Last Year: 15-17, 7-11 in Big Ten)



2010-11 Projected Depth Chart:


F/C: Jon Horford (Fr)/Jordan Morgan (Fr)

F: Blake McLimans (Fr)/Evan Smotryzc (Fr)/Colton Christian (Fr)

G: Zach Novak (Jr)/Jordan Dumars (So)

G: Stu Douglass (Jr)/Matt Vogrich (So)

PG: Darius Morris (So)/Tim Hardaway Jr. (Fr)

Gone: G-Manny Harris, PF-DeShawn Sims, C-Zack Gibson, SF-Anthony Wright (transfer-Toledo), G-Laval Lucas-Perry (transfer-Oakland), C-Ben Cronin (injury)



2010-11 Outlook:
After returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, the Wolverines took a step back last season when expectations were high. Jon Beilein now faces a re-building effort as he loses Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims who combined for more than half of the Wolverines scoring output last year. Add into that the dismissal of Laval Lucas-Perry for violating team rules, and Michigan will be one of the youngest, most inexperienced teams in the Big Ten.

The Wolverines welcome in five freshmen and South Florida transfer Jordan Dumars who will become eligible after the first semester. Four of those freshmen make up the entire frontcourt along with redshirt freshman Blake McLimans, which will be quite a challenge for Beilein. Tim Hardaway Jr. figures to be involved in the backcourt rotation.

Zach Novak and Stu Douglas will be asked to carry the load as leaders and are the top two returning scorers respectively averaging just 7.4 and 6.8 points per game last season. Sophomore point guard Darius Morris will likely join them in the starting lineup. He showed flashes during his freshman season but will need to make a major leap if Michigan is going to have any chance this season.





Player to Watch: Blake McLimans, PF
The 6-10 forward chose to reshirt last season and is the only Wolverine frontcourt player who is not a true freshmen. Already having a year in the system will benefit him as he will likely be asked to contribute in a major way right off the bat. His ability to play on the perimeter and knock down outside shots makes him a perfect fit in Beilein’s system that is friendly for versatile bigs.



Key Non-Conference Games:
  • 11/26 vs. Syracuse (Legends Classic)
  • 11/28 vs. Georgia Tech/UTEP (Legends Classic)
  • 11/30 at Clemson (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
  • 12/10 vs. Utah
  • 1/9 vs. Kansas



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