Michigan Basketball mailbag: How long can Wolverines stay undefeated?

Michigan basketball has started their season 9-0 and is ranked inside the top-ten in this week’s new AP Poll.

It’s been a while since I wrote up a mailbag article, and after such a blistering start to this season by the Michigan basketball team, I felt now would be a good time to do one. Let’s dive right into the questions.

https://twitter.com/ryguyburner/status/1346218740556378113?s=20

This is a great question. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the NCAA will allow any senior to come back next season if they choose to do so. This year will not count against anyone’s eligibility. I think in general, most seniors will move on after this season like normal. But every case is different for every player.

Eli Brooks is the one name that comes to mind as an obvious choice. He doesn’t have a high pro basketball upside so if he wants one more year at Michigan, I think he would get it. Michigan basketball will be thin and very young next season in the backcourt so it could make sense for both sides.

Mike Smith is an option that could make sense as well. The difference here is Smith has already been in college for five years. Does he really want a 6th year? Who knows.

Austin Davis is intriguing as well. If Michigan basketball does not land a center in the 2021 class, Juwan Howard will still need a backup for Hunter Dickinson next season. What better fit than a veteran leader like Davis?

It’s a tricky question because like I said, we just don’t know what the future holds for these kids. I think you could make a strong case for Brooks, Smith, and Davis but I’d lean Brooks as being the most likely.

This is another great question that I thought pretty hard about and I think I came up with a good answer. I’m going to use two Big Ten players here as a combination for my Frankie Collins comparison. Xavier Simpson and Carsen Edwards. Let me explain.

Frankie is a pass first point guard and has a chance to be an elite defender. He will do most of his scoring by beating his man off the dribble and finishing in the lane. He’s also a smaller guard at just 6’0. Sound like Xavier Simpson?

The reason why I want to throw Carsen Edwards in here is because of his insane athleticism for a little guard. Frankie is not even close to the shooter/scorer that Edwards is, but the athleticism of the two really remind me of each other. So I think saying he’s a much more athletic Xavier Simpson is a fair statement and a good comparison.

It’s hard to look forward into next season with so many Covid-19 questions that could really impact the roster but I’ll do my best here. I’ll throw out a few scenarios and then list a starting five that goes with that scenario.

Scenario 1: All the seniors leave and Franz Wagner goes pro:

Collins/Jackson/Houstan/Diabate/Dickinson

Scenario 2: All the seniors leave and Franz Wagner stays:

Collins/Jackson/Franz/Diabate/Dickinson

Scenario 2: Eli Brooks comes back, Franz goes pro:

Collins/Brooks/Houstan/Diabate/Dickinson

I think you get the point. I am very high on Frankie Collins and Moussa Diabate being starters from day one. I think Diabate is the best player in this Michigan basketball class and I think Frankie will be the true point guard that will take over for Mike Smith. I also would like to note that I really doubt Brandon Johns will be on this roster next season.

I’m going to answer these both at the same time because it’s the same answer. I think on the road against Wisconsin on Feb 14th will be Michigan’s toughest game. I also think Wisconsin is the team that is the worst matchup for Michigan.

Wisconsin has two stretch fives that can knock down a ton of threes. That is a nightmare matchup for Dickinson. They also have big physical guards that love to score in the post and I think that’s going to be tough for Brooks and Smith to defend.

Plus, it’s Wisconsin on the road. They can shoot it, they are well coached, and they are as experienced as anyone in the country. That’ll be a tough test for Michigan basketball.

January 12th against Wisconsin is when I see Michigan picking up their first loss. But nothing would surprise me. Michigan is playing as well as anyone and could keep this rolling for a while. But this is the Big Ten, every game will be a challenge so it wouldn’t surprise me if Michigan dropped a game to a team they should beat like Penn State or Maryland.

Thanks for everyone who submitted a question for this Michigan basketball mailbag. I plan to do one of these every couple weeks so keep an eye out for them.