Michigan Basketball: Isaiah Livers injury massive hit for Wolverines

Isaiah Livers is set to be out for a while with a groin injury. How does Michigan Basketball move forward without their key player?

Michigan Basketball has been one of the biggest positive surprises of the non-conference part of the season, ranked No. 11 currently while being as high as No. 4 after winning the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis. Head coach Juwan Howard has had a number of players step up this season, including leading scorer Isaiah Livers.

The junior forward is averaging 13.6 ppg on 51% shooting from the field, while making half of his three-point attempts and going for a whopping 90% from the free throw line. He already has three games of at least 20 points scored, including going for 21 in the win over now No. 1 ranked Gonzaga. The 6’7 versatile forward has been huge for the Wolverines being that go-to scorer for an offense that had to replace so much production from the season prior.

But now Michigan will have to find a way to replace Livers’ own production, as he’s been declared “out indefinitely” after suffering a groin injury in the previous game against Presbyterian. Injuries like this and with the hamstring vary with each player, so there’s no true timetable in this situation. Unless he magically heals up, it’s safe to assume the junior will be out at least a couple of weeks.

That’s tough news for Michigan Basketball, who after playing UMass-Lowell this weekend, resume Big Ten play. Those next five games will be a tough stretch, including matchups against Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Purdue, and Minnesota. Although considering what’s happened so far in the conference, any game should be viewed as “tough”. The good news for the Wolverines and their March intentions is that they’ve already accomplished plenty, including wins over Gonzaga, North Carolina, Iowa, Iowa State and Creighton. Even if the team splits their games without Livers, they’ll still be in position for a top-4 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The bigger problem will be how Michigan operates on the court without Livers. He was the ideal fit alongside center Jon Teske thanks to his ability to spread the floor. His versatility also works defensively, able to deal with big and small players at the power forward position. His potential replacements, Colin Castleton and Brandon John’s Jr. are more prototypical back-to-the-basket forwards who don’t space the floor. It’ll be an adjustment for point guard Zavier Simpson and other guards when initiating the offense.

The other option is to go “small”, with freshman Franz Wagner playing at the 4-spot and have guards Eli Brooks and David Dejulius play alongside Simpson on the perimeter. That’s a better offensive unit but creates a lot of problems on the defensive end. Expect a lot of different rotations used in the UMass-Lowell game to find a winning group to use before Big Ten play.

Before the injury, Isaiah Livers was on track for an All-Big Ten placement and leading the Wolverines to a top seed in the Big Dance. Hopefully his he’ll be back sooner than later to continue his breakout campaign. In the meantime, Coach Howard will have his toughest task to date in year one at Michigan Basketball. His response will determine what this team looks like in the new year.