Hoke's Mad Magicians

Player Review: Spike Albrecht

2013-05-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

A nice season for a freshman with little hype:

Player Review: Spike Albrecht

Michigan BBall B1G Schedule Updates & Thoughts

2013-05-14T17:10:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Big Ten has revealed a big part of Michigan's basketball schedule:

Michigan BBall B1G Schedule Updates & Thoughts

What If Evan Smotrycz Had Stayed?

2013-05-14T16:52:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Over the last few weeks, I have been looking at some of the hypothetical situations that could have impacted Michigan basketball over the last few seasons. First, I looked at what could have happened if Trey Burke had stayed committed to Penn State instead of coming to Michigan. Then I looked at what could have happened if Darius Morris had opted to return for another season at Michigan. This time, I am going to look at what could have happened if Evan Smotrycz had stayed at Michigan.

Smotrycz was not a great player for Michigan. He played just two seasons for the Wolverines and failed to average 10 points per game in either season. In his first season, he averaged just 17.8 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. He increased those numbers in his second season to 21.1 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. So he wasn't great, but he was certainly a solid player. The big problem he experienced in his sophomore season was that he often got put out of position in the lineup due to Jordan Morgan's foul trouble, which significantly limited his play. I remember even joking during his second season that he had to have the highest foul to minute ratio in the Big Ten because he would often foul just seconds after getting on the floor. So what would have happened if he stayed? Let's take a look:

2012-2013 Season:
For as average as his contributions were to Michigan as a sophomore, I cannot express how big his return would have been for Michigan last season. With Zack Novak gone, Mitch McGary in Ann Arbor, and Jon Horford back from injury, Smotrycz would have started from day one. The lineup would have been: Morgan, Smotrycz, GR3, Hardaway, Burke. Then McGary, Horford, Stauskas, LeVert, and Spike would have come off the bench. Think about that. That bench lineup would have probably done alright in the Big Ten and they would have been coming off the bench.

The big problem for Michigan's big men all season was that they were inefficient on the offensive end. Well, Smotrycz was much better on the offensive end than the defensive end contrary to Michigan's other big men. This would have given Michigan the offensive boost while also adding some size inside to help on defense and in rebounding. Plus, GR3 would have been able to play his natural position. McGary would have eventually moved in and started at the 5, but I'm not even sure Louisville could have slowed down Michigan's offense at that point.

2013-2014 Season:
At this time, we're really stretching this hypothetical situation, but it's hypothetical so why not? This would be Smotrycz's senior year. Assuming the same players leave after last year in this situation, that would likely give Michigan a starting lineup of: McGary, Smotrycz, GR3, Stauskas, Walton. Then Irvin, Morgan, Horford, LeVert, and Spike would come off the bench. For the second straight season, Michigan would have a fully capable bench lineup that could probably beat a few teams in the Big Ten.

It's tough to imagine this roster not going really far in the NCAA Tournament. They would have a boatload of talent, experience, and depth across the board. Every single position on the roster would be proven except point guard, where a 4* recruit would be coming to campus and Michigan would have a backup that scored 17 points in the national championship game (assuming this happened again). I would also be hard pressed to see this team ranked anywhere outside of the very top of the preseason rankings and probably would have been higher than they even are now (Michigan - #4 by CBS & #10 by ESPN).

Overall
If Smotrycz had opted to stay in Ann Arbor, it certainly would have been a welcome addition to last year and this year's Wolverines. Whether it would have ultimately changed the result remains to be seen, but with his size and his offensive weapons, things would have boded well for the team. Of course, he did decide to transfer to Maryland and it will be interesting to see if Michigan is slotted to play Smotrycz in the 2014-2015 season for what will now be Smotrycz's senior season. Interestingly enough, the only player that could be left on Michigan's roster who played with Smotrycz at Michigan would be Jon Horford as everyone else will have graduated, transferred, or went to the NBA from the 2011-2012 squad.

Target Spotlight: Jordan Ash

2013-05-14T10:10:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

We take a look at another point guard today in Jordan Ash:

Target Spotlight: Jordan Ash

Season Review: Glenn Robinson III

2013-05-11T10:09:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

We break down one of Michigan's key returners:

Season Review: Glenn Robinson III

Target Spotlight: Jalen Coleman

2013-05-09T12:33:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Here's a look at one of the top targets for 2015:

Target Spotlight: Jalen Coleman

Quick Thoughts: Michigan Adds Duke To The Schedule

2013-05-08T16:36:00.003-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Michigan gets one heck of an opponent next season in Duke:

Quick Thoughts: Michigan Adds Duke To The Schedule

Graduation Thoughts

2013-05-06T17:31:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

As some of you may know, I've been a student at the University of Michigan for the past few years. I arrived on campus in the fall of 2009 and graduated last weekend. It's been a long journey through not only college, but also high school to get to this point. I will be attending Wayne State Law School next fall with a scholarship, but I still have a lot of thoughts about leaving Ann Arbor and the place I've called home for the last four years.

There's no doubt that in 10-15 years, sports will probably be one of the smaller things I remember about my time in Ann Arbor. The friendships, the experiences, and the lessons I learned will be what lasts the longest. Those late night study sessions around campus, the strolls around Ann Arbor to enjoy the non-freezing weather, and the many people from freshman to senior year. I'm sure most graduates hope to stay friends with the people they've met, but everyone comes to terms with the concept that things will change after they exit the Big House on graduation day.

Despite the fact that these are things that will be the most long-lasting, it's crazy to think about the things I've experienced as a student in just my four years in Ann Arbor. People always talk about how Michigan is known for having great sports programs and competitive teams, but I can't imagine a more wild ride ever occurring for any other group of students. The 2013 class has experienced more ups and downs than perhaps any other class in the university's history, at least for sports.

When I got to campus, the football team was coming off a horrible 3-8 season with losses to Notre Dame, MSU, OSU, and the end of its cherished bowl streak. Not only this, but the weekend when I arrived to campus, allegations were running wild that Rich Rodriguez had broken NCAA rules. Many had high hopes for the coming season and Rodriguez's tenure, but needless to say, feelings probably weren't too high considering the preceding events. Unfortunately, the "improvement" during my freshman season meant no bowl game and losses to MSU and OSU. My sophomore year was perhaps even more frustrating as Michigan was able to improve to a 7-5 regular season record, but got demolished against just about every legitimate opponent on the schedule and were completely dismantled during the bowl game.

My junior year was when things got really exciting. The half game opener against Western, Under the Lights, a great win over Nebraska, breaking Ohio's winning streak, and finally the win in the Sugar Bowl. It was a great season. My senior year didn't quite live up to the year before, but the team still made the Outback Bowl and were able to defeat MSU (a team Michigan had not beat for 4 straight seasons at that point) and Iowa (another team Michigan had not beat for awhile). When I arrived on campus, there was such negativity surrounding the team. When two frustrating seasons followed, I never would have imagined I would have been able to experience Under the Lights, a win against MSU, a win against OSU, a BCS bowl win, and the massive improvement under Brady Hoke. There were so many highs and so many lows in such a short period of time.

The basketball team had an even more radical improvement. When I got to campus, there were high hopes for the team. They had won a game in the NCAA Tournament the season prior and entered the season ranked. However, they had an underwhelming season and missed the tourney. Arguably the only good thing about that year was a win over an injured OSU. Similar to the way things began for the football team, expectations were pretty low for basketball.

They then followed this by sweeping MSU the next season, getting back to the NCAA Tournament, and crushing Tennessee. The next team was even better with a win over OSU and MSU and a Big Ten Championship. Finally, there was last season. A win against MSU, OSU, a trip to the Final Four, a narrow loss in the national championship game, and a flurry of national player of the year awards for Trey Burke. Would anybody have believed that Michigan would be in the national championship game before I graduated during my freshman year? No way.

The hockey team even experienced some crazy history during my time in Ann Arbor. Yes, we all know the NCAA Tournament streak unfortunately came to a close, but the team also made it there three times and was the national runner-up one of those years. Plus, nobody will soon forget the "Big Chill", which broke the all-time hockey attendance record. If you were at the game, it was just plain awesome. That's a pretty exciting list of events over just a four year period.

I'm sure some would have rather experienced some different times in Michigan history. The Fab 5 would have been great, Woodson and the championship year would have been fantastic, and of course the Mad Magicians team would have been something to see. College isn't about how the school's sports teams perform, but we all know they're fun to watch. The last four years has been incredibly unpredictable for Michigan sports and I've enjoyed my ride. I'm on to other things now and I'll be sure to follow the teams, but it's been a special trip. As the commencement speaker said last Saturday "There is no script to life". It's been shown in my last four years at Michigan and I'm looking forward to it in the future.

Derrick Walton Player Preview

2013-05-06T16:05:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Get a preview of Michigan's new freshman point guard below:

Derrick Walton Player Preview

What If Darius Morris Had Stayed?

2013-05-02T11:19:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Over the last week, there has been a lot of coverage regarding the Los Angeles Lakers, their rise to the NBA playoffs, then their subsequent collapse. One of the key factors in this collapse was the massive amount of injuries the team suffered. However, these developments were particularly interesting for Michigan fans because they were able to witness Darius Morris (former Michigan point guard) get the starting nod in the playoffs, which was not something many predicted to see this quickly.

Whether Morris did a good job in this position is up for debate (the Lakers got swept in 4 games), but it did get me thinking about the way Morris impacted Michigan. Many have forgotten about Morris and the earlier Beilein teams due to the massive success in the last two years for Michigan and Trey Burke. An NCAA title game appearance and a Big Ten Championship are pretty noteworthy and will make a lot of people forget about the past, but Morris was a pretty good player in Ann Arbor.

Morris was instrumental in not only getting Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament after missing it in the previous year, but also in a sweep of in-state rival MSU and a huge 1st round win against Tennessee in the tourney. This may not sound that significant, but a sweep of MSU was actually pretty significant. Not only had Michigan lost 4 straight games to the Spartans, but they had also lost 6 of the last 7 games against MSU and 10 out of the last 12 games. Their last victory over MSU came in February of 2007 andthe 2002-2003 season was the last one that Michigan had a winning record against the Spartans and that was only a one game series, not a two game series. The last season sweep for Michigan over MSU was in 1997. Needless to say, these were two big wins.

However, after having an exciting year for Michigan with some big wins, Morris opted to jump to the NBA and was drafted by the Lakers. Whether this was the right decision can be debated, but what could things have looked like if he had decided to remain in Ann Arbor. Of course, his NBA draft pedigree would have likely changed, but what would have changed for Michigan? Trey Burke came on campus the year after Morris left, won himself Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and then followed it with National Player of the Year. This leads to some major lineup questions if Morris and Burke both would have been on one roster.

The 2011-2012 Season
This would probably have been the most interesting year if Morris would have stayed in Ann Arbor. Trey Burke is a fantastic player. You can make a strong argument that he was the best point guard in Michigan basketball history. This is going to sway a lot of people into believing he would have won the starting role here. However, this is a revisionist thought and represents something that wasn't know before or during the 2011-2012 season. Why? Because he was not the best player in the nation during his freshman campaign.

Burke was good as a freshman and maybe even great, but he certainly wasn't elite. He should have been 1st team All-Big Ten as a freshman and he was the best player on the Michigan roster, but he still made mistakes and had some rough games down the stretch. One of the biggest factors were his turnovers and risky outside shots. He certainly had his moments and in some of the biggest games of the year, but he still had some major flaws in his game as a freshman.

Along with this, Morris had also entrenched himself as Michigan's starting point guard. It's one thing to show up with little depth and take over the starting role, but another thing to come in and beat out the previous year's starter, especially when they're probably the best player on the team. Morris was a good player the season before and there isn't much of a reason to believe he wouldn't have improved the next year, at least slightly. I think Trey Burke is great and became better than Morris, but I'm not convinced that freshman Burke could have moved junior Morris from his starting spot.

However, this still would have given Michigan really good depth off the bench. Burke would have certainly got some solid minutes and rightfully so. I can even imagine Beilein bringing Burke off the bench to play alongside Morris at the 2 spot. How cool would it have been to see a Morris backcourt pass to Burke for a 3 point shot? Beilein has shown he's willing to think outside the box to utilize guys and this roster would have been a perfect example.

You also have to think that Michigan would have been right in the Big Ten title race, especially considering that Burke would have been the guy pulled off the bench to get the offense going again. I certainly think the team would have done better near the end of the year as well with less wear and tear due to the massive playing times of guys like Burke and Hardaway. Morris could have made all the difference and maybe we would have gotten a big tourney run a year earlier.

The 2012-2013 Season
Now, this is the area where it gets really speculative. One would think that Morris would have jumped pro following the 2011-2012 season if he had not jumped originally after the 2010-2011 season. This would have put sophomore Burke into the starting role and things would have probably been pretty similar to the roster makeup of the past season. Maybe Spike is recruited, maybe not, but Beilein would have probably brought in a point guard regardless of Morris staying since many signs would have pointed to him leaving the next year.

If for some reason Morris would have opted to stay for his senior year all bets are off on what the lineup would have looked like for this season. Morris would have gotten better certainly, but this would be the season where Burke was the national player of the year candidate. We don't know if he would have still been at this level, but if he was this good, would Morris still be on the court more than Burke? Sophomore Burke was better than Morris was at anytime during his Michigan career and even if Morris had 2 more seasons to improve, I'm not sure he could gotten to that level. Burke was much better than he was as a freshman and I think you can
make an argument about freshman Burke against junior Morris, which implies how good of a player Burke was for Michigan.

Regardless, if Morris was on last year's roster, the team would have been insanely loaded and both guys would have got some solid minutes. I can honestly imagine a Morris, Burke, Hardaway, GR3, and Morgan/McGary lineup for the last season. Stauskas and LeVert would have come off the bench and Spike would have certainly been redshirted. That is a really good lineup. It's certainly not crazy to think Michigan could have beaten Louisville with Morris on the roster.

Overall
Morris obviously didn't stay, but it's still a fun topic to debate and breakdown. How much of a difference would Morris have made by staying? In my opinion, the main difference would have been during Burke's freshman year when he was still improving his game. This would have allowed players to rest and probably would have made Michigan better at the end of the year when they had a discouraging collapse against Ohio State then Ohio in the NCAA Tournament. Either way, both players should be in the NBA next year and maybe we'll get a chance to see them compete there.

Thoughts: Should The Big Ten Use Basketball Divisions?

2013-04-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

An interesting concept, let's break it down:

Thoughts: Should The Big Ten Use Basketball Divisions?

Michigan Looks To "Size Up" In The NBA

2013-04-29T10:04:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Michigan basketball hasn't been in good shape for a long time. Entering the 2011-2012 season, the Wolverines hadn't won a Big Ten championship since the Reagan administration and hadn't made a Final Four appearance in nearly 20 years. Over the last two seasons, Michigan has erased these deficits and truly returned the Wolverines to national relevance.
However, one of the gaps that still exists is in the NBA. Michigan has produced a bunch of quality NBA talent during its history, but right now, that talent pool has largely dried up. Though the NBA ranges somewhere between 360-450 players at a time (varies due to roster size), Michigan only has 3 players on NBA rosters. Along with this, they only have 1 player who has been a major contributor; Jamal Crawford.

Sure, Darius Morris got the chance to start a few playoff games and Juwan Howard was on the Miami Heat when they won the NBA title last year, but neither of these guys are exactly all-star caliber right now. I won't minimize the significance of making an NBA roster because it's extremely difficult, but in terms of evaluating Michigan's performance in the NBA, being a contributor or on the bench is a pretty big difference. If the Wolverines really want to increase the strength of their program and its relevance at the national level, putting quality players in the NBA is one of the biggest steps.

The good news is that Michigan is set to take a big step this year in achieving this goal. They only have two players in serious consideration for this year's draft (Trey Burke & Tim Hardaway, Jr.), but both of these guys are in good position to get drafted and make an NBA roster. Burke has been projected as an NBA lottery pick and Hardaway appears aimed to go somewhere in the 2nd round. That is not only a big jump for Michigan simply in the number of NBA players for the program, but also in the number of quality players. Burke has a very high probability to start in his rookie season and although Hardaway will probably fall into more of a Morris role, depending on the team, he might be able to log some solid minutes.

What's also significant is that this year's draft should inject some youth into Michigan's NBA players. Howard is certainly nearing the end of his NBA career and even Crawford was drafted in 2000. That gives Michigan just one player on an NBA roster that has been drafted in over a decade. This really doesn't matter that much year to year, but it definitely increases the odds of Michigan having solid players in the future considering the typical length of NBA careers.

Plus, to go along with what should be a great NBA Draft for the Michigan Wolverines this year, they have a bunch of solid NBA prospects on their roster next season. Not only will Michigan have two players that would have easily been drafted this year (Mitch McGary & GR3), but they are adding Zak Irvin who has the potential to be a one and done type of player, adding Derrick Walton who could certainly be drafted in a few years, and have a few guys like Nik Stauskas who will probably get on an NBA roster at some point. If things continue at this rate, Michigan is going to have a big presence in the NBA not just in the next year, but 5-10 years down the road.

Michigan has definitely been making positive steps in rebuilding its program. They've been making the NCAA Tournament, winning conference titles, and winning tourney games. Michigan has also drastically improved its recruiting and is now bringing in top talent. The only thing left to take Michigan's program to the next level is increasing its role in the NBA. The Wolverines are in a good position to start fixing that this summer.

Quick Thoughts: Michigan Basketball Schedules Stanford

2013-04-22T15:20:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

A cool game setup for next year:

Quick Thoughts: Michigan Basketball Schedules Stanford

Michigan Recruiting...Dakich?

2013-04-21T00:42:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

So a few sites have started reporting that John Beilein and staff are still looking at a few 2013 players and among them is Andrew Dakich. As many will quickly see, Dakich has a pretty well known name. That's because his father works for ESPN as a college basketball analyst. He covered several Michigan games this season including Michigan's road game against Wisconsin. Regardless of his heritage, Dakich has the potential to offer the Wolverines a lot starting next season.

Dakich is a point guard that stands at 6'1" and receives most of his attention based on his basketball IQ and his intelligent gameplay. He's a player that understands the game and the little things that can make an offense run effectively. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite have the body to match his game understanding. He has the height at 6'1", but he doesn't have the quickness or athleticism of most D1 prospects. Imagine a player like Spike except probably a little slower. He's worked on his game as of late as well and improved his outside shot, which makes the Spike comparison even better.

So he has potential, but he has limits on what he can do against the top competition. This is the main reason Michigan is looking at him as a preferred walk-on and not as a scholarship player. He hasn't been getting much attention as a scholarship player, which should calm expectations. If Michigan gets him to commit, it's not like they are stealing a solid scholarship player for a walk-on position. Dakich has the potential to contribute at some point, but even with the most favorable projections, this isn't a player to get too hyped about in the near future.

However, what makes this so interesting is the extra security it would give Michigan for the next few years. Of course, Dakich would be expected to redshirt and then potentially play the next season, but take a look at Michigan's roster next season. They have considerable talent and depth, but it's pretty thin in certain areas and especially at the point. Derrick Walton and Spike Albrecht should be good players next season, but those are the only two guys for the position. Nobody else on the Michigan roster
next year besides these two is projected to be a point guard. This means that if either player were to get injured, that leaves virtually no depth at arguably the most important position on the court.

A dropoff from starters to the bench should be expected, but it's also expected that there is a bench. Even this season the Wolverines had players like Eso Akunne that could come off the bench if necessary in an injury situation. Dakich would give the team that extra security blanket for up to 5 years if he ends up joining the roster. So even though this is a recruitment that won't merit a ton of attention, it has the potential to be huge if the Wolverines run into unfortunate circumstances.

Way Too Early Bracketology (Big Ten Style)

2013-04-20T10:49:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

In the craziness that is college basketball, ESPN has released their first projected bracket for the 2014 NCAA Tournament. There are plenty of flaws and valid criticisms in any of these brackets and especially on one this early. Not all of the players have made their NBA announcements, players could be suspended or kicked off teams, 2013 recruiting is not completely finished, and there is always the concern about offseason injuries. Despite all of these criticis
ms, I'm going to take a quick look at the bracket and specifically the Big Ten teams projected to make the tourney.

#1 Seed - MSU
The Spartans (who are likely to be the preseason Big Ten favorite) are the highest projected Big Ten team in this bracket projection. They ended up being a #3 seed in the last NCAA Tournament and bring back everybody except Derrick Nix. Adreian Payne has not made his NBA decision yet, but many believe he will return to East Lansing after a great season. To me, this is a tricky projection. On one hand, they have a ton of proven players and proven starters. Picking against a team that returns 4 of 5 starters from a squad that nearly won the Big Ten is not typically a good idea. However, there are some very big concerns about this team. Of course, the first is whether Payne will return. If he opts to go to the NBA, there is no way MSU deserves to be projected this high. For this, I'm going to just assume he returns. The next question is about who occupies the 5th starting spot. They have a few other big men, but none have been that great and will be a big downgrade from Nix. They also have a few guys like Trice that could make a push for the spot, but does Tom Izzo want to go with a smaller lineup and where does that leave MSU's bench? They have very limited bench production and pulling one of their best bench players for a starting role is going to force guys like Harris and Appling to play some major minutes. Essentially, they have to either bite the bullet of putting a weaker production guy into the starting lineup or have a virtually non-existent bench. They are good enough to beat the most teams even with this problem, but against the very best? I'm not convinced. Verdict: Too High

#2 Seed - Michigan
The Wolverines return from their national title game appearance with some major departures in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. However, they also bring in some highly touted recruits in point guard Derrick Walton and wing Zak Irvin. Plus, bench players like Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht have another year under their belts to help make up for the lost production from Burke and Hardaway. The team also returns 3 starters in Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, and Nik Stauskas. All of these players will be entering their sophomore seasons looking to improve on their game. Plus, solid depth upfront in Jordan Morgan, Jon Horford, and Max Bielfeldt will help. This team has major question marks at the point and how to make up for a ton of lost production, but they certainly have all the weapons they need to recover. Will they be as good as last season? Probably not, but if Derrick Walton is even close to what he has been projected to be, the Wolverines should be a pretty good team. This may be an optimistic view, but with an easier Big Ten, improved depth, more experience, and some great recruiting, this projection probably isn't too far off. Verdict: Good Projection

#2 Seed - Ohio State
Similar to Michigan, the Buckeyes are looking to replace their best player going into next season. They still bring back some big weapons in Aaron Craft and LaQuinton Ross, but for a team that struggled at times offensively, losing the team's best offensive player is not a good sign. The Buckeyes are bringing in some solid wing players, but I still am not sure how this team will replace Deshaun Thomas. Their bench was pretty weak last year and they don't seem to have the answer in their incoming recruiting class. They're good players, but not built for Thomas' role. The guys best lined up are Ross and Sam Thompson, but both were very inconsistent last season. Unless one of these two guys break out, look for the Buckeyes to rely heavily on defense to feed their offense and an offense that lacks a "go to" scorer. I underestimated Matta's abilities coming into this past season, but can they really compete with the best teams? As much as it may bother some Michigan fans, they probably are going to end up close to this projection. Their defense is just so good that it can carry them. I wouldn't select them for a deep tourney run, but they certainly can earn this projection. Verdict: Good Projection

#4 Seed - Indiana
The Hoosiers are experiencing some major offseason losses. They lose 4 of their 5 starters and the best two players on their team. However, they hold onto their talented point guard Yogi Ferrell and bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. They have a legitimate replacement for every major player they lost in this recruiting class and that doesn't even take into account talented bench players like Will Sheehey and freshmen like Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea who barely played at all last season. Whether Big Ten fans like it or not, Indiana is here to stay. There is just too much talent in this recruiting class and off the bench for nobody to be productive. Will they take a step back from this season? Most likely, but they were also ranked #1 before this season. How they're going to deal with their scholarship issues will be interesting to watch, but expect this team to be able to battle with many of the Big Ten powers, especially at home. Verdict: Good Projection

#5 Seed - Wisconsin
Ah, the pesky Badgers. Somehow, they stay relevant every year under Bo Ryan. Unless the NCAA can get some of the rule changes through like shortening the shot clock, expect Wisconsin to be right in the mix of things next season. The problem is that they are losing a ton heading into this season. They lose Berggren, Evans, and Brusewitz. They are going to need some younger guys to step up and play physical in the frontcourt. All the writing on the wall says to write this team off, but I've learned my lesson on Wisconsin. They will find a way to stay relevant and do just enough to be in contention for the Big Ten in the last few weeks of the season. Wisconsin has finished 4th or better in the Big Ten in every year under Ryan. That's 12 seasons. However, their play doesn't carry that well outside of the conference where referees actually have to call the game of basketball. Seeing this and a probable drop in conference strength, this might be a tad too high. Verdict: Too High

#7 Seed - Iowa
The Hawkeyes were the dark horse pick for the Big Ten this season. Unfortunately for them, they didn't really live up to the hype (if you believe darkhorse teams get hype). They were unable to record marquee wins and ended up being relegated to the NIT Tournament where they finished as the runner-up. In all honesty, this team should have made the tourney this season, but the selection committee decided to pick less deserving teams, but that is a different debate. Iowa brings pretty much everything back and should be able to beat up on a lot more teams this season with more experience and with all the talent that left the Big Ten this offseason. I think they will make the tourney, but I also think people are getting a little too carried away with this projection. Iowa has improved, but they still aren't going to beat many top teams. More, but not many. Without those wins, they aren't going to become a #7 seed. Verdict: Too High

#11 Seed - Illinois
I was actually shocked to see the Illini put here at first. They are the last Big Ten team projected to make the NCAA Tournament. They had a good year under first year coach John Groce, but they lose virtually everything from their team. They do bring in some big time recruits in the backcourt to help make up for Brandon Paul and DJ Richardson, but that's still going to be a challenge. The more I look at this team though, the more I believe they can make it back to the tourney. Groce is a good coach and knows how to use his talent. I actually think they may end up higher than this when all is said and done. Losing Paul is huge, but I think the recruiting will pay off. Verdict: Too Low

Not Selected - Purdue
How the Boilermakers were not projected to the NCAA Tournament is beyond me. This team brings back a ton of talent and were massively improved during the season. They were extremely young and that's why a huge portion of their losses came early in the year. Take away a bunch of their early losses and this team probably would have been close to the bubble this year. They are not going to lose those type of games next year and have a very talented roster. Verdict: Way Too Low

2013 Michigan NBA Draft Hotboard

2013-04-19T15:39:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Michigan's roster has been experiencing the full weight of the NBA and the NBA Draft since their National Championship game appearance against Louisville. As of now, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. have declared for the NBA Draft. Everyone else has either made no inclinations of their desire to go to the NBA this year or verbally announced (McGary & GR3) that they would be returning to Ann Arbor next season. Until April 28th, players can still declare for the NBA Draft, so things are not 100% guaranteed until then. There are still many interested in not only the impact of those who stayed, but also the impact of those who left on the team and their status in the draft. In order to help, I've made a short post that should keep you updated on what is going on with the NBA Draft and its relation to Michigan.

HMM Coverage:

Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft
Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA
Quick Thoughts: Hardaway To The NBA
Quick Thoughts: GR3 & McGary Returning

National Coverage:

ESPN: Trey Burke's Profile
ESPN: Tim Hardaway's Profile
ESPN: Mitch McGary's Profile
ESPN: GR3's Profile
ESPN: Trey Burke Enters Draft
ESPN: Hardaway To Enter Draft
ESPN: Case For Burke As The #1 Pick
CBS: Trey Burke To The NBA
CBS: Hardaway To The NBA
CBS: GR3 and McGary Return to Michigan
UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From Trey Burke's NBA Announcement
UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From THJ's NBA Announcement
UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From Mitch McGary's NBA Announcement
UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From GR3's NBA Announcement

General NBA Draft Coverage:

Quick Thoughts: GR3 & McGary Returning

2013-04-19T14:34:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Thank you!

Quick Thoughts: GR3 & McGary Returning

Quick Thoughts: Hardaway To The NBA

2013-04-17T15:29:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Too sad

Quick Thoughts: Hardaway To The NBA

What If Trey Burke Had Gone To Penn State

2013-04-15T11:17:00.002-04:00

Trey Burke was committed to Penn State for almost a year. Yes, Michigan's outstanding point guard, All-American, and Player of the Year at one time pledged to be a Nittany Lion. Of course, he eventually switched to the Wolverines, but what would have happened if Burke had remained with Penn State? Recruiting battles occur almost everyday and recruits change their minds constantly, but how would things look for both teams if Burke had not changed his mind. This discussion of course changes nothing and Michigan fans are surely happy to have Burke, but it is an interesting concept.

Penn State
The Nittany Lions took two guards in the 2011 recruiting class, but have received mixed at best results from both. These two guards were Matt Glover and Trey Lewis (Lewis has been described as the player recruited to replace Burke). This is largely due to the timetable from when Burke decommitted and when Lewis committed. Unfortunately for Penn State, both players ended up transferring from the program. To say this is a downgrade is an understatement. There is no proof that Burke would have worked out with Penn State, but going from Player of the Year to two transfers is a pretty big loss for any program.

So undoubtedly, the addition of Burke would have made an impact. It would have been particularly interesting to see the impact last season, when Penn State had Tim Frazier. Frazier was one of the top point guards in the conference and actually made 1st team All-Big Ten. The instinctual decision would be to put both players on the floor at the same time, which would make things really interesting. Who goes at the 1 and who goes at the 2? As great as Burke has been this season, it seems likely that Burke would have been forced to slide over the 2 to get both players on the court. They are both great scorers and passers, but Burke is probably a better 3 pt shooter than Frazier. Penn State would not have been dominant in 2011-2012, but they certainly wouldn't have finished in last place in the Big Ten. At least not with that backcourt. It seems probable that they might have been able to sneak into the NIT Tournament, but going from last place in the Big Ten to a NCAA Tournament berth would still have probably been too much, especially with Burke as a freshman and not as a sophomore.

This year, Burke's services would have been much more valuable, considering that the Nittany Lions lost Tim Frazier at the beginning of the year. Burke would have filled a much needed role and boosted a team struggling for leadership. Penn State won 2 games in conference play. Could Burke have changed that? Almost certainly. Now, it's not like he could have turned Penn State into a championship team, but they definitely would have been better. NCAA Tournament bid? Probably not without Frazier and Burke, but NIT bid? That would have certainly been possible.

Michigan
This section can be a lot shorter. Unless the Wolverines would have been able to land another point guard recruit in the 2011 recruiting class, they would have been in for a very rough season. Darius Morris left for the NBA and the main players that could be used at that point were Eso Akunne and Stu Douglass. Douglass would have been able to do alright, but he's much better suited to the 2 than he is to the point. Along with this, Akunne is not a point guard that can take a team to that next level. He's been a solid player for Michigan, but he's just limited in his abilities. Instead of a Big Ten title, Michigan would have struggled just to make the NCAA Tournament without Burke. This would have been a huge hit for the team and the program.

This season, the Wolverines would have definitely been able to find somebody to fill that point guard spot if they weren't able to grab Burke. They had Spike in this recruiting class, but if there was a serious problem with the position in the season prior, they would have recruited it much harder and probably would have a bigger name recruit to show for it. Spike has been a good surprise for Michigan fans this year, but a bigger name would have certainly been in the 2012 recruiting class if Burke never arrived in Ann Arbor. However, this is still a true freshman or a true sophomore replacing a Player of the Year candidate. No way Michigan enters the season so highly rated and makes it to the title game without Burke. They probably could have made the NCAA Tournament, but the Wolverines would have looked a lot different in this scenario.

Overall
Burke staying committed to Penn State wouldn't have changed the world, but it would have put a serious dent in Michigan's long-term success. Along with this, it would have probably boosted Penn State up quite a bit. Not to the point of domination for the Nittany Lions, but certainly better than last place in the Big Ten. This discussion may not change the scenario for either team, but it is interesting to see the impact of a player like Trey Burke on an upward trending Michigan and a bottom program like Penn State.

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

2013-04-14T16:32:00.003-04:00

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

A sad day, but something we all knew was coming:

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

A Recap of Michigan Basketball Season Staff Predictions

2013-04-11T00:41:00.003-04:00

Michigan beating the Buckeyes to split the season

Well, now that the season is over, we are entering the black void commonly referred to as the offseason. Basically, we have 5-6 months to discuss what happened in the previous season, recruiting, and what is going to happen next season. Today, we're going to take the first option and discuss some of the predictions our staff writers had for Michigan's season. Of course, many of these predictions did not come true and several of these writers have now left Hoke's Mad Magicians (went on to do some exciting stuff), but it's still always fun to see how everyone did. So let's take a look:

Staff Predictions:

Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit)

26-5 record
Solid B1G tournament run
Solid NCAA Tournament run
Splits with Indiana, MSU, loss to Wisconsin, and 2 random losses

Kyle Curtiss (@maizenblu)

27-4 record
1 non-conference loss
Loss to Indiana, MSU, and a boneheaded loss

Tyler Desy (@aka_TMD)

27-4 record
Elite 8 run

Tyler Fenwick (@tFly_GetsBuckets)

26-5 record
Final Four run

Joel Wiscombe (@joelwGoBlue)

27-4 record
Sweet Sixteen run
Splits with Indiana, OSU, MSU

So the predictions were pretty similar across the board. Michigan ended up finishing with a 25-6 regular season record with losses to Ohio State, Indiana (twice), Wisconsin, MSU, and Penn State. They made it to the 2nd round of the Big Ten Tournament and went to the national championship game in the NCAA Tournament. In terms of raw record, Tyler Fenwick and I tied for the closest prediction at 26-5. The remaining guys were just a little too optimistic about our chances.

In terms of postseason predictions, Tyler Fenwick had the closest prediction as he called the Final Four run before the beginning of the year. Tyler Desy predicted the Elite 8, but did say the team could go further. Kyle didn't make a postseason prediction and Joel was a little less optimistic with a Sweet Sixteen prediction. I predicted solid Big Ten and NCAA Tournament runs, but didn't specify on how far. Honestly, I probably would have predicted us farther in the Big Ten Tournament, but probably not quite as far in the NCAA Tournament. I had a ton of confidence before the season began, but Final Fours are difficult to make, especially with so little tourney experience on the roster.

So Tyler probably had the "best" overall predictions using these measures, although everybody was pretty close when you break things down. I also made a TON of predictions regarding different things about the team and the schedule. If you want to take a peak at them, just click here: predictions.

Thoughts On Michigan Scheduling Cincinnati

2013-04-11T00:13:00.002-04:00

The Bearcats

This article is a bit late, but with the NCAA Tournament run Michigan went on at the end of the season, I was a little preoccupied with those games so I didn't get around to commenting on an interesting scheduling development. Now that the season is over, I'm going to throw a little more stuff up on here in relationship to Michigan hoops that isn't necessarily a "huge" story for the team or program. Michigan scheduling Cincinnati is one of these stories. Not necessarily earth shattering news, but something that will certainly be important in a few years.

This is definitely a future development as the two teams won't play until at least the 2015-2016 season, but this should be an interesting game for Michigan. They get to face a relatively local team that has been competitive in recent years. They were a serious threat in the Big East this season and recorded some big wins. Rosters will be difficult to predict so far in advance, but personally, I think this is a more interesting matchup than some of Michigan's recent opponents like Arkansas, who really didn't turn out to be that great.

Some have talked about a recruiting boost from this matchup. I'm not totally sure that a boost will exist, but being featured in a pretty big game will certainly have its boosts. Many of the early season games are forgettable, but this could be one that garners some interest like Michigan's games with Arkansas and West Virginia, which really weren't fantastic matchups. Getting national exposure is always positive for recruiting. In more specific terms, there probably won't be a huge boost. Beilein recruits Ohio pretty often and has landed several players from the Buckeye state, but basketball recruiting is so limited, these games probably won't make a difference.

Personally, this is an interesting game to look forward to in a few seasons, especially because Cincinnati could move around by then considering the recent history of the Big East/American Athletic Conference. There may not be a huge program or recruiting boost, but at least it should provide an early season game that gets fans interested and showing up to Crisler.

Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft

2013-04-10T20:03:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

It's an interesting draft year for Michigan. Read about projections and predictions below:

Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft

Postseason Thoughts: Michigan Basketball

2013-04-10T10:52:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

It was a great season:

Postseason Thoughts: Michigan Basketball

Championship Preview: Michigan vs. Louisville

2013-04-08T09:27:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

It's here!

Championship Preview: Michigan vs. Louisville