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

#1: Michigan will make the Final Four

I can already see some of you guys rolling your eyes as you read that headline. So let me backup my bold Final Four prediction.

A lot of things need to go right to make the Final Four. You must stay healthy. You must click as a team and be connected. You might need to get some favorable matchups. And lastly, the makeup of your team has to be right and I think Michigan’s is.

To make a run in March, your team typically needs to have the following things.

Experience

Michigan will likely have three seniors in the starting lineup in Mike Smith, Eli Brooks, and Isaiah Livers. Chaundee Brown is another senior that will get plenty of playing time even if he doesn’t start. Same with backup center Austin Davis. Brandon Johns, Adrien Nunez and even Franz Wagner are all experienced players who know how to win. There’s plenty of experience on this Michigan basketball team.

Elite wings

Michigan will have in my opinion the best wing duo in the conference next season in Franz Wagner and Isaiah Livers. They can both shoot it, and are both capable of scoring from all three levels.

They will be a nightmare matchup for opposing teams. Do you try to stop Franz and possibly give Livers some space for open threes? Or do you stay on Livers and create driving lanes for Franz?

Michigan will be as strong at wing as anyone in the country next season when you factor in Chaundee Brown and Brandon Johns. That’s a good recipe for success.

Good guard play

Some Michigan basketball fans are worried about guard play this season. I am not. I am really high on Mike Smith. I think Michigan struck gold with that transfer. He will be able to play a smaller role this season compared to what he did at Columbia, but he will still have the skills to takeover when needed.

Eli Brooks and Chaundee Brown are two seniors that will anchor down the SG spot. They are both elite defenders as well which will help Mike Smith a lot and take some pressure off him.

I am not worried about Michigan’s guard play. They will have solid shooting from Smith and Brooks, elite defense from Brown and Brooks, and they will have a freshman behind them pushing for playing time in Zeb Jackson.

Depth

Even though I don’t see Michigan going too deep into their rotation because they have so many multi positional players, the option is there if Juwan wants to play more guys. Coming off the bench you’ll have Brown or Brooks (whichever one doesn’t start), Davis, Brandon Johns, Zeb, Terrance Williams, and Adrien Nunez.

That is a solid mix of experienced role players and freshman that are chomping at the bit to make an impact.

You need to have good depth, guard play, wing play, and experience to make a run in March. And by season’s end, if Michigan is connected as a team, I believe they possess all the ingredients to make a Final Four run.