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Michigan Basketball: Top 5 non-conference games for 2018-19

By Brad Cavallaro

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines reacts against the Villanova Wildcats in the first half during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines reacts against the Villanova Wildcats in the first half during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 02: Isaiah Livers #4 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 02: Isaiah Livers #4 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1. Villanova, Road, November 14th

A title game rematch between Villanova and Michigan not only has the most buzz from a viewership/storyline perspective, but also from a resume building perspective. Even after losing their four best players to the NBA Draft, Villanova should hover around the 8-12 spot in preseason rankings.

Eric Paschall is the next man up for Villanova and is a potential NBA prospect in his own right. He is a super strong and athletic PF who can stretch the defense and even occupy a small ball five role. Phil Booth is back for his senior season and the last two years he’s been healthy, the Wildcats have won National Championships. He will provide perimeter scoring and will step into a more prominent role.

Grad transfer Joe Cremo and 5-star freshman Jahvon Quinerly are the major additions. Cremo put up big numbers for Albany and should score in double figures in his lone season in the Big East. Quinerly will compete with Collin Gillespie for the starting PG spot, but seems to be the early favorite. The two lead guards will play together frequently in smaller and quicker lineups and both can score and create for others.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree may be the X-factor as he has to take over for Omari Spellman a year earlier than most anticipated. He is an energy big man who competes on the glass, but is not nearly as skilled as Spellman.

This is certainly high enough to be considered a Quadrant 1 win and beating a team like Villanova on the road will move you up multiple seed lines. We saw with Arizona State last season that beating a top tier team on the road (Kansas) can make up for repeated missteps. The Sun Devils limped to the finish, but still made the NCAA Tournament because of this massive early season victory. If Michigan wins this Gavitt Games matchup, they are in unbelievably good shape in March.

Next. 5 breakout players in the Big Ten. dark

Clearly, Michigan has a strong out of conference schedule and, when combined with an improved Big Ten, will provide more than enough resume building opportunities.

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