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Michigan Basketball: Why the Wolverines Can Win the Big Ten

By Chris Peterson

Mar 17, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Michigan Wolverines players from left Moritz Wagner , Duncan Robinson and Zak Irvin at a press conference during a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men
Mar 17, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Michigan Wolverines players from left Moritz Wagner , Duncan Robinson and Zak Irvin at a press conference during a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men /
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The Michigan basketball team may not have any elite players, but with its top six players from the end of the season returning, the Wolverines will contend in the Big Ten in 2017.

The 2015-16 season didn’t go exactly as planned for the Michigan basketball team. But, thanks to a number of players returning from that team, the 2016-17 season should be much better for the Wolverines.

Related Story: Michigan Needs an Influx of NBA Talent

Certainly, Michigan basketball is going to have improve in a number of areas, particularly on the defensive end if they are going to turn into a contender next season.

But even with their porous defense, which ranked outside the top 100 according to the KenPom.com efficiency rankings, the Wolverines still won 23 games, won a game in the NCAA tournament and notched a number of key victories over tournament teams like Maryland, Indiana and Purdue.

Of course the Big Ten is going to be loaded once again next season, but teams like Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa are all losing key players from their teams, while the only real loss Michigan basketball is dealing with is Caris Lavert.

Sure, Spike Albrecht went to Purdue, but he hardly played at all last season and neither did Lavert. And with Derrick Walton, Zak Irvin, Mark Donnal,  Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson, as well as reserve forward Moritz Wagner, the Wolverines have a solid and experienced nucleus returning.

Here’s a reminder of what those players can do.

That was basically the same group of players that beat Indiana in the Big Ten tournament, then Tulsa in the NCAA’s. It was also the same group that had Notre Dame, a team that went to the Elite 8, on the ropes before running out of gas in the second half of the second-round game.

If head coach John Beilein, who has proven himself at developing players over the years, can develop freshman like Xaiver Simpson, who is ranked No. 47 overall by ESPN.com and other newcomers like Jon Teske, Austin Davis and Ibi Watson, then Michigan will have the depth it needs.

Losing players like Albrecht, Cam Chatman, Ricky Doyle and Aubrey Dawkins, might have hurt in terms of depth, but none of those players are irreplaceable.

And after hiring Billy Donlon, who was a head coach at Wright State, where his teams played outstanding defense, as an assistant, the hope is he can help resolve many of the Wolverines issues on that end of the floor.

Michigan will definitely need players like Robinson, Walton, MAAR, Irvin, Donnal and Wagner to take the next step in their development. And if the Wolverines are going to win the Big Ten, one or two need to become All Big-Ten caliber, but in truth, especially with Robinson, Walton and Irvin, that’s possible.

Next: Caris Lavert Would Be a Great Fit for the Chicago Bulls

Michigan basketball should be back in the NCAA tournament next season, but if a few things go their way and UM players are able to stay healthy, a run at a Big Ten championship is a realistic expectation.

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