Michigan Basketball: 5 bold predictions for the 2020-21 season

Michigan basketball will kick off its 2020-21 season on November 25th against one of the best teams in college basketball, the Villanova Wildcats.

Despite losing Xavier Simpson and Jon Teske, Michigan basketball will still have high expectations this season. During their first year under coach Juwan Howard, the Wolverines showed flashes of brilliance and showed they could be a serious threat to anyone in college hoops.

Unfortunately, the injuries to their star wing Isaiah Livers and inconsistent play from Teske was too much to overcome and the Wolverines had a disappointing middle part of the schedule that set the team back.

Despite finishing ninth in a crowded Big Ten, Michigan was still going to be an NCAA Tournament team. They still split the season series against rival Michigan State. And they still had hopes of making a run in March.

As we continue to look ahead and preview for the upcoming 2020-21 season, let’s get bold. In this article, I will throw out five bold prediction for Michigan hoops.

Remember, these takes are bold. They may or may not actually happen. But they are long shots that I truly believe could happen if the pieces align for Michigan basketball this season.

#5: Six players will average double-digit scoring

A season ago, Michigan basketball was extremely balanced. The Wolverines had five guys average over ten points per game.

Isaiah Livers: 12.9

Xavier Simpson: 12.9

Franz Wagner: 11.6

Jon Teske: 11.6

Eli Brooks: 10.6

The balance of scoring came from the fact that they didn’t have one guy average over 12.9 PPG. There was plenty of points to go around. I do believe that Franz Wagner will take a sizable step forward this season and average the most points.

However, I think Michigan is going to have one of the better offenses in college hoops next season and with the talent it has coming back, I see potentially six guys reaching double digit scoring in 2020-21. Here’s how I see the scoring shaking out from Michigan’s top six guys:

Franz Wagner: 15.5

Isaiah Livers: 14.0

Mike Smith: 12.0

Hunter Dickinson: 11.5

Chaundee Brown: 10.5

Eli Brooks: 10.5

I know what you’re thinking, that’s a lot of points. I agree, it is. But I don’t see Michigan getting a ton of bench production this season. Michigan is a deep team if they need to be, but there’s a clear cut top-6 and I think that’s where the majority of the production will come from.

I think Michigan will play faster this season and will overall have a better offense than a season ago. You should see a lot of points being scored this year for the Wolverines.