Big Ten Basketball: Illinois rises, Iowa falls in latest power rankings
Wolverines . 6. team. 485. . 7-4 (1-1).
It’s definitely surprising to see the Wolverines comfortably unranked after being in the top 5 to start the season. But while three of the four losses (Seton Hall, Arizona, North Carolina) are understandable on paper, losing by 20+ in blowouts to the Wildcats and Tar Heels are not. And making matters worse, losing at home to Minnesota (although they look much better than expected) is one of the more surprising results.
There are several issues for Michigan roster-wise but one of them hasn’t been Hunter Dickinson, who leads the team with 15.6 ppg and 9.0 rpg. And Eli Brooks, the team’s other key returning starter has seen his numbers decline in the past few games, is second on the team with 12.6 ppg.
The problem has been the entire supporting cast of freshmen and transfers. Point guard and former Sun Belt Player of the Year Devante Jones leads them with 4.7 apg but is scoring just 7.4 ppg and only taking six shot attempts a game. Top-10 freshman prospect Caleb Houstan is averaging 10.1 ppg but hasn’t been playing at star level as of yet. And fellow five-star freshman Moussa Diabate has provided great energy and defense but doesn’t score much in the offense and isn’t the best fit alongside Dickinson.
Guards Kobe Bufkin and Frankie Collins have been playing more as of late but the offense has mostly been about Brooks scoring or hoping that Dickinson can go off. The offense overall has been in complete flux and they have road games against UCF and Rutgers before home battles against top 15 teams, Michigan and Rutgers. If things don’t improve soon for the Wolverines, their odds of making the NCAA Tournament will go from a preseason sure bet to one with longer odds than Minnesota somehow.