Michigan Basketball: Big Ten dominance might happen sooner than later

Michigan basketball is uniquely suited to become the best team in the Big Ten, and it might happen sooner than we think.

Listen, no one is predicting this Michigan basketball team will make it to the final four. It’s not realistic. With 20 to 25 wins, Juwan Howard will prove to the doubters that he is the right man for the job and that no one should ever use the excuse of ‘no head coaching experience’ as a reason to dismiss a head coaching candidate at a big-time program.

When you break down the current situation for Howard, that win total would be a massive success. Not only did this team lose three starters, but they also lost their top commit for this season and their head coach – the last loss of which came halfway through the offseason, effectively destroying any chance Howard had of landing a different top recruit.

How does Howard top Tom Izzo?

Well, that’s a complicated answer.

Generally, when coaches leave programs in the state John Beilein did, there’s going to be a significant period until that group can recover if they ever are able to replicate prior accomplishments.

Take Brad Stevens and Butler, for example. In 2013, during Brad’s final season, the Bulldogs posted a 27-9 record. Under new head coach Brandon Miller, Butler only managed 14 wins, their worst win total since 2004-05. They remain a program unable to replicate previous accomplishments.

Another example is Billy Donovan and Florida. The year before Billy left, Florida posted a staggering 36-3 record and went into the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. Florida has seen some relatively good 20+ win seasons, but nothing like what they experienced under the unmatched head coaching abilities of Billy Donovan.

The moral of the story is: It’s nearly impossible to find two needles in a haystack.

Based on the record, coaching, and recruiting so far, Michigan has done just that.

UM is 3-0 with decisive victories over tough opponents like App State and Creighton. Howard, even in the face of massive scoring droughts, has remained calm and outcoached the competition. To top it all off, Juwan is missing the German phenom, Franz Wagner, and yet this team is undefeated. By all accounts, Franz was setting up to start alongside Zavier Simpson, Eli Brooks, Isaiah Livers, and Jon Teske.

And then there’s Isaiah Todd. The 12th ranked basketball player for the 2020 class and a Michigan commit. According to Todd, Howard was the main reason he chose Ann Arbor to play ball.

“He played in the league, coached in the league and played my position and also graduated from Michigan,” Todd said. “I could learn a lot from him. And excel my game to the next level.”

Isaiah might not have signed his national letter of intent when so many others did, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to panic. He’s likely just keeping his options open and watching Howard coach a few games before putting pen to paper.

In other great news, Howard is expected to land Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2 center who’s ranked 35th overall. 247 sports’ crystal balls have Hunter headed to Michigan as the perfect replacement for Teske.

If you don’t believe the media predictions, you should know that Hunter’s girlfriend and track star, Ziyah Holman announced her commitment to UM last week.

https://twitter.com/milesplit/status/1194672701601918980

Top of the Big Ten

Juwan Howard doesn’t want development players, he wants plug and play type guys, and he’s getting just that. If he can continue to draw attention from guys ranked in the top 50, Howard is two to three years away from taking over as the team to beat in the conference.

After all, we know Howard can coach and win with good players. Imagine what he will do with the best players in the country.

How long will it be until Michigan replicates Beilein’s 33-8? Current trends show it won’t be long.