Busting Brackets
Fansided

Michigan Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule

By Tommy McGowan

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard reacts to a play against Toledo during the second half of the first round of the NIT at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard reacts to a play against Toledo during the second half of the first round of the NIT at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Big Ten Basketball
Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports /

The long march that is the college basketball offseason continues apace, and with more teams unveiling their respective non-conference schedules, it’s starting to feel like tipoff is right around the corner. Among those teams is Michigan Basketball, a program under a bit of pressure as they prepare for the 2023-24 campaign.

Following a 2020-21 in which they won Big Ten’s regular season crown and played themselves into the Elite Eight, the Wolverines have followed it up with a pair of underwhelming seasons. A Sweet 16 run in ’21-’22 overshadowed the fact the Wolverines were on the bubble the entire way and barely gained entry in the 68-team field. Last season was even more disappointing, as they finished 18-16 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten, missing the NCAA Tournament altogether. To add insult to injury, they did so despite having a pair of guards, Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin, go within the first 15 picks of this summer’s NBA Draft.

The offseason hasn’t been quite the response Michigan would have hoped for either, as the face of the program, Hunter Dickinson, transferred to Kansas and their top offseason prize, Caleb Love, unable to gain meet their academic standards for entry and take a detour to Arizona. Landing Tennessee forward Oliver Nkamhoua, one of the top players in the transfer portal, was a nice response from Juwan Howard and staff, but didn’t do enough to assuage the air of uneasiness swirling around the program.

While his seat has warmed as a result of the past two years, Juwan Howard doesn’t seem like one to run away from the pressure. On the contrary, he should look at a loaded non-conference slate as an opportunity for Michigan to prove themselves against some of the sport’s top programs and build a strong resume that can help fuel a return to the NCAA Tournament.

Home/Michigan Wolverines