Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Predicting teams at the top for 2019-20 season

By Brandon Simberg

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 5: C.J. Jackson #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes pokes the ball away from Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans in the first half on January 5, 2019 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 5: C.J. Jackson #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes pokes the ball away from Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans in the first half on January 5, 2019 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 08: Former Michigan Wolverines player Juwan Howard supports Michigan against the Louisville Cardinals during the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship at the Georgia Dome on April 8, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 08: Former Michigan Wolverines player Juwan Howard supports Michigan against the Louisville Cardinals during the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship at the Georgia Dome on April 8, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. Michigan

Key players lost: Charles Matthews, Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis

Key players returning: Zavier Simpson, Jon Teske, Isaiah Livers

Key newcomers: Franz Wagner

Nobody in the entire conference lost more than Michigan in the 2019 offseason. Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles Matthews all left school early for the NBA Draft. Meanwhile, head coach John Belein also left for the pros, becoming head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Assistant coach Luke Yaklich also left the staff to become an assistant at  Texas, which can not be understated.

Despite all this turnover in the program, I remain fairly optimistic about Michigan under first-year head coach Juwan Howard. Returning are two key starters in Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske. Simpson didn’t put up the biggest stats last season, but his impact went way beyond the box score. He was an elite on-ball defender on one end while being a terrific facilitator on the other. He is not prone to turnovers and you can count on his running hookshot once a game. Simpson will need to score more for Michigan in 2019 and to do so he will need to improve on his 30% mark from three. But Simpson is a gym rat by all accounts and I believe he can make the leap.

Teske has the tools to be one of the best bigs in the conference. Standing at a legitamate 7’1 Teske is already an elite rim protector, blocking two shots per game last season. He also showed promise on the offensive end by making 23 three-pointers. Teske is going to have to score more than nine points per game but with the aforementioned players no longer on the team, the opportunities will be there.

Depth is going to be Michigan’s biggest problem. Rising sophomores David DeJulius, Brandon Johns and Colin Castleton should all see increased minutes but they all need to get significantly better. Also, keep an eye on freshman Franz Wagner (younger brother of Mo) who should see time as well.

This Michigan team naturally won’t be good as Beilein’s last few teams, but that’s okay. There’s still plenty of talent on the roster to make the tournament and a run at the top of the Big Ten. With Simpson and Teske, they can shut down any opposing point guard and center and make it hard for teams to score.

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