Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season
By Adam Childs
. . Wolverines . 5. team. 485.
The Wolverines enter the second year of the Juwan Howard era as a team being overlooked. If you listen to the experts they should be nowhere near the top of the Big Ten. The conference is too loaded at the top and the Wolverines don’t bring back enough talent.
That is probably good news for Wolverine fans because it seems every time they have been overlooked they end up having a great season. Last year, Michigan stumbled in the middle of the year but they looked like one of the best teams in the country when they swept through the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament that included Gonzaga, North Carolina, Oregon, and Seton Hall.
Yes, they do lose one of the best point guards in the conference in Zavier Simpson, and their steady center Jon Teske, but they still bring back a lot of talent.
The Wolverines will be led by Senior Isaiah Livers who when healthy is one of the most explosive players in the conference. He was near the top of the conference in three-point shooting before his injury and is also very good at finishing at the rim. He is a pretty good defender also.
They also return Franz Wagner, who was just starting to come into his own at the end of the year. A wrist injury slowed the start of the season, but he is another guy that can kill you from anywhere on the court.
Graduate transfer Mike Smith and returner Eli Brooks will create a very good backcourt along with Wake Forest transfer Chaundee Brown. Throw in freshman Zeb Jackson and this team should be very deep at the guard spot.
Brandon Johns Jr. is a solid backup to both Wagner and LIvers and could be the sixth man of the year in the Big Ten this year.
The center spot is the big question mark for the Wolverines as they have super freshman Hunter Dickinson, but he needs to prove himself. Backing him up is Austin Davis who showed flashes last year, but is better in the backup spot.
If they can get good production from the five spot, the Wolverines are going to be very dangerous. They may be the deepest team in the league and it will show during Big Ten play. Don’t be surprised if this team finishes in the top three.