Michigan Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Wolverines

Season Outlook

The Wolverines might have the highest ceiling and lowest floor in the whole Big Ten. Most experts have them picked around 5-7 in the conference and that seems about right with so many question marks.

Michigan still is led by Simpson who knows how to win and lead a team and that should be very valuable this year. Livers is ready to make a name for himself and Teske is looking to improve on a great junior year. If all three of these pieces can come together and they can get some support from the other guys the Wolverines could be a sneaky good team.

Head coach Juwan Howard has proved that he can be a good recruiter, now he must prove he is a good coach. The word from Ann Arbor is the players love him and the passion is there. But he needs to turn that into results on the court.

The Wolverine fans have become used to the team competing near the top of the Big Ten and that may be tough this year with Michigan State being loaded and Maryland, Ohio State, and Purdue right behind them.

The non-conference will tell us a lot about how the Wolverines can compete with some top competition but one thing is for sure, they won’t back down. Michigan should have a toughness about them and they should again be a very good defensive team and that should keep them in a lot of games.

The doubters of Michigan are ready to keep them out of the top 25 and barely making the tournament, but Howard and company will prove them wrong. Michigan isn’t a top ten team, but they should be good enough to be a Sweet 16 team again this year.

Realistic expectations for the Wolverines would be a top-five conference finish and a 6 or 7 seed in the tournament. Pull-off an upset and they can be heading back to the second weekend of the tournament.

Or the losses will be too much and we will see them in the NIT. High ceiling, low floor is the theme for Michigan this year.