Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Updated way-too-early rankings after the NBA Draft

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: The Michigan Wolverines celebrate after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-66 during the championship game of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: The Michigan Wolverines celebrate after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-66 during the championship game of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 02: A Michigan Wolverines cheerleader performs. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 02: A Michigan Wolverines cheerleader performs. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Michigan basketball fans breathed a sigh of relief earlier this offseason when head coach John Beilein elected to stay with the program rather than take the Detroit Pistons job. Even though it seemed unlikely that Beilein would change jobs from the beginning, it is still something that should be taken for granted. Beilein is an excellent head coach and his dedication to the Wolverines’ program is honorable. It does help, though, that he is coming off of an appearance in the national championship game and has a fair amount of talent coming back.

Yes, the loss of Moritz Wagner will be difficult to overcome but this is a program that has averaged 11.5 conference wins over the past seven seasons. The lowest during this period of time was eight and the highest was 15. That kind of consistency is not easy to come by and should be commended. As we look ahead to this season in particular, though, there are reasons to believe Michigan can compete for the Big Ten title.

For starters, the program will be welcoming back Charles Matthews for his senior season with open arms. A vital part of Michigan’s run last season, Matthews averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. An all-around talent, Matthews was the kind of do-it-all forward that consistently produced for the Wolverines. He will finally be the go-to-guy for the program as a senior due to being the only returning player to average more than eight points per game last season.

However, that doesn’t mean that he will be without help. Rising juniors Zavier Simpson (7.3 points, 3.7 assists) and Jon Teske (3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds) will be ready to take on much larger roles and could even crack the starting lineup on occasion. In addition, rising sophomores Jordan Poole (6.1 points) and Isaiah Livers (3.4 points) will see increases in minutes as well.

Oh, and bringing in the No. 12 recruiting in the nation doesn’t hurt, either. Ignas Brazdeikis is expected to be a contributor from day one but the class also features three other top-150 recruits.

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