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Michigan Basketball: 5 Wolverines who thrived during 2018 exhibition trip

By Daniel Benjamin

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 12: A detail of a shirt which has the word Team on it worn by the Michigan Wolverines against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ohio State won 68-61. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 12: A detail of a shirt which has the word Team on it worn by the Michigan Wolverines against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ohio State won 68-61. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Michigan Basketball got an experience of a lifetime with a trip to Spain for preseason exhibitions. Which Wolverines excelled the most?

2018 NCAA national runners-up Michigan Wolverines got off to an early start to their season with an eight day trip to Spain. While the trip included plenty of time for sightseeing with stops in Madrid and Barcelona, it was really a good experience for a program that lost three valuable contributors from last season.

Michigan went 1-2 during the three-game exhibition tour. The Wolverines took game one of the trip defeating the Madrid Generals (82-72). The Wolverines fell to KK Mega Bemax (81-73) in game two and then to Joventut Badalona (85-79) in the finale.

Michigan is coming off one of its best seasons in program history. The Maize and Blue won a school-record 33 games and captured their second straight Big Ten tournament crown. With their national championship loss in 2018, the Wolverines are now 1-6 in title games though two of their appearances (1992, 1993) has been wiped from the NCAA record books due to rules violations.

Michigan is expected to contend for the Big Ten regular-season crown in 2018-19. The Wolverines have not won a regular season title since 2014. For the Wolverines to contend this upcoming season, they will need to replace the nearly 37 points that the trio of Mo Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson provided.

NBA prospect Charles Matthews leads the returning players that also include Zavier Simpson, Jordan Poole, John Teske, Austin Davis and Isaiah Livers. The Wolverines also brought in a quality recruiting class led by Ignas Brazdeikas.

Michigan will play one exhibition game this season against DII Norwood on Nov. 2. The Wolverines will open the regular season at Chrisler Arena versus Norfolk State on Nov. 6 as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball HOF Tip-off tournament.

6-foot-11 freshman Colin Castleton and coach John Beilein did not participate in the games in Spain. Castleton broke his hand earlier this summer though he didn’t require surgery. The good news is that he is expected to be ready by the beginning of the season. Beilein didn’t even make the trip abroad as he was recovering from double-bypass heart surgery. Assistant Saddi Washington served as the interim head coach during the trip.

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