NCAA Basketball: Top 25 preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

The Wolverines lost a number of seniors this offseason, along with eventual NBA Draft lottery pick Franz Wagner. But the most important thing for them is that big man Hunter Dickinson elected to return, looking to build off an All-American campaign as a freshman, leading the team with 14.1 ppg and 7.4 rpg last season.

Dickinson alone makes this team a legit contender in the Big Ten but it also helps that the No. 1 recruiting class is joining him as well. It’s a 6-man group, led by top-10 overall prospect Caleb Houstan. He’s a 6’9 combo forward that can be used in a variety of ways on both ends. Five-star big man Moussa Diabate will be Dickinson’s backup at center but also could see minutes alongside him at the power forward spot.

The other key freshmen to watch include guards Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin, along with 6’6 wing Isaiah Barnes. They’ll likely get minutes behind 5th-year senior guard Eli Brooks, as well as Coastal Carolina transfer guard Devante Jones, who won the Sun Belt Player of the Year Award.

How well Jones plays in the Big Ten as a starter likely will determine Michigan’s ceiling but the floor will be high thanks to Dickinson and the freshman bigs. If Houstan can be an all-conference contributor as a freshman, this team could be even better equipped to make a postseason run that goes further than the Elite 8 last year.