Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned in costly loss to Illinois

Michigan doesn’t have the resume or the talent of a tournament team

This Michigan basketball team was always going to be a work in progress. The Wolverines did lose Ignas Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews a season ago.

With the addition of Franz Wagner and the development of younger guys like DeJulius, helped Michigan get off to a fast start when this team has Isaiah Livers, it’s a legitimate top-25 team or at the very least, a tournament team.

Without Livers, Michigan just isn’t talented enough or deep enough. Brandon Johns has been inconsistent and hasn’t stepped up to fill the void. Colin Castleton hasn’t developed as much as we thought either and Adrien Nunez has been an absolute disaster. If he’s on the team next season, I’d be shocked.

The fact that Austin Davis was playing the final few minutes tells you all you need to know about this team. Even if Livers was healthy, getting to the tournament would be a long shot, but without him, it’s going to be nearly impossible.

If the Wolverines win at Nebraska Tuesday, it sets up three straight home games against Rutgers, Michigan State and Ohio State, followed by a trip to Northwestern and a home game against Indiana.

A 5-1 record during that stretch will give the Wolverines a chance, but it’s hard to expect a team that has lost five of six, to suddenly go on a winning streak, especially with its best player injured.