Michigan Basketball: Breaking down next season’s Big Ten opponents

We learned Michigan basketball’s Big Ten opponents for the 2021-22 season and we break it down with some first impressions.

The Big Ten conference is going to be loaded with talented teams once again next season and on Thursday, the league announced its schedule which included Michigan basketball.

At this point, we don’t know the dates and times, which is obviously a big part of breaking down any schedule. Yet, we at least know who the Wolverines will be playing in the Big Ten next season.

Here are Michigan basketball’s opponents according to the release:

"Home & Away – Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, RutgersHome Only – Maryland, Minnesota, NorthwesternAway Only – Indiana, Penn State, Wisconsin"

The first thing that stands out to me is that the Wolverines will get two games against their strongest conference rivals: Michigan State and Ohio State.

U-M will also get to play Illinois twice which should be interesting. The Fighting Illini won the only meeting between the two teams last season. That led Illinois to claim it should get a share of the Big Ten regular-season title even though the Wolverines had a better winning percentage, which was the deciding factor.

One of the first impressions is that the schedule is going to be really tough. The USA Today preseason top 25 has five Big Ten teams ranked in the top 13. Michigan basketball is one of those teams but it plays seven games against the other four.

Michigan will play Purdue twice in addition to Michigan State, OSU, Iowa, Rutgers, and Nebraska. It’s worth noting that six of the seven teams U-M will play twice in Big Ten play next season made the NCAA Tournament.

Other thoughts on Michigan basketball’s Big Ten opponents

One potential break is getting to play Maryland at home. The Wolverines also avoid traveling to Minnesota, which has been a tough place for them to win, even when they have the better team.

However, road games against Wisconsin and Indiana should be tough. The easiest games right now are at Penn State, as well as a home game against Northwestern.

Of course, we don’t know when these games will be played and that’s a huge factor when it comes to difficulty. Consecutive games on the road, multiple games in short time periods, and quick turnarounds can all determine how manageable a schedule can be.

The Wolverines are also hosting Kentucky in non-conference play, as well as playing at UCF and in the MGM Resorts Main Event, a tournament that includes Wichita State, UNLV, and Arizona, as well as U-M.