Michigan Basketball: 3 Predictions for the 2019-20 season

Michigan basketball has a new coach, three new starters, and lost one of their top recruits. Here are three hopeful predictions despite the setbacks.

John Beilein dealt a deathly blow to Michigan basketball by taking the Cleveland Cavilers job and now the team is dealing with the aftermath. Immediately following his departure, Jalen Wilson, a top 100 recruit, asked to be let out of his scholarship and has since committed to play at Kansas.

The coaching search landed on a home-run candidate in Juwan Howard who turned around and made his greatest weakness his greatest strength with the hiring of long-time head coach Phil Martelli.

Martelli began his head coaching experience in 1995 at St. Joseph’s and stayed there until this year. One phone call from Juwan was all Phil needed to put his head coaching search aside and throw on the assistant coaching hat. I’m sure that hat was difficult to find considering he hasn’t worn it since the year the T.V. show Friends aired.

Bad dad jokes aside, the hiring seems to be great for the university, but only time will tell.

While the off-season has cooled off, a lot of news could be coming soon on the recruiting front which I will cover later in the article as one of the predictions. At this point, there are very few prospects left which should give the prediction away to those paying close attention.

Another hint to the article will be the depth chart. A lot of questions at two of the position and then some insight into who could be six, seven, and eight coming off the bench.

Finally, some rivalry and Big Ten Tournament predictions which may leave some die-hard disappointed.

Let’s get to it.