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

Michigan Basketball outlook for 2021-22

It’s a testament to the job Juwan Howard has done that the expectation for Michigan basketball is back to “compete for championships”.  That will continue to be the case, and with this roster, Michigan will have a realistic opportunity to chase down a regular-season conference title, a conference tournament title, and the biggest prize of them all.

This team has one of the highest floors in the country, and I’d argue they have more quality depth 1-9 than any roster outside of Gonzaga and UCLA.  The question is, how high can the ceiling get?  Can Devante Jones take home all-conference honors and be Michigan’s best point guard since Trey Burke?  Can Kobe Bufkin and Moussa Diabate immediately prove they are deserving of 20+ minutes a game?  Can Hunter Dickinson make a leap and make a run at National Player of the Year?

If just a few of these questions are answered, there could be some more banners heading to Ann Arbor.  My most reasonable prediction – the team finishes non-conference play either 10-1 or 11-0, ranked comfortably in the top 5 in the country.  They then stay in contention throughout the regular season, before ultimately finishing in second or third in the conference.

But most importantly, I predict things start to click heading into March.  With the added edge of proving they are the team to beat in the Big Ten after not winning the regular season, I predict Michigan wins the Big Ten tournament and heads into March as a #1 seed for the second year in a row.  From there, it’s anyone’s guess what the Madness has in store for the Wolverines.