Michigan Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Wolverines

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: Hunter Dickinson #1 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates during the second half against the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

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Michigan Basketball Big Ten (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Schedule for Michigan Basketball

The non-conference sets up nicely for the Wolverines this year. Notable games include home against Seton Hall in the Gavitt Tipoff, UNLV in Las Vegas in the Roman Main Event, followed by Arizona or Wichita State, and the marquee non-conference game, a road trip to Chapel Hill against North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

The only opponent from that group ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll is North Carolina (19th), who enters their first season without Roy Williams. Michigan will be favored in every game except for at UNC, and it’s reasonable to expect a non-conference record of anywhere from 9-2 to 11-0. It’s also worth noting that Juwan Howard’s first year at Michigan he went undefeated in November, starting 7-0 and followed that up with an 11-0 start last season that pushed into January.

The conference schedule is where things heat up. Michigan has double plays against Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Iowa, all of whom made the NCAA Tournament last season. Single plays against Northwestern, Minnesota, and Penn State (three of the worst teams in the conference) set Michigan up with a bit of a gauntlet.

Of course, one of the benefits of being one of the best teams in the conference is you don’t have to play yourself. A tough Big Ten schedule is nothing the team can’t overcome. That said, there might be better values if you were looking to bet a regular-season conference champion than the Wolverines.

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