After wins over Michigan State and Iowa this week, the Wolverines basketball team is slowly starting to get their confidence back. After starting 10-2, Michigan’s youth and inexperience has been quite evident since the start of the Big Ten season. The Wolverines had lost 6 of 7 games in the conference, including 6 in a row overall before their wins against State and Iowa. Now after back to back wins, Michigan is looking to build on their recent success and possibly towards a spot the NCAA Tournament.
Yeah…it’s not looking good for the Wolverines to make the tournament, but they have done some good things year. If you really think about it, Michigan has played well for the most part of the season. Their record might not reflect that, but it’s true. After only loosing 2 games during their non-conference schedule, (1 being a 3 point loss at Syracuse) the Wolverines had reason to feel good about themselves. Since then, the losses have started to pile up, but…they have been playing good competition. Top to bottom, I think the Big Ten is stronger than expected. Michigan’s losses so far include Purdue, Ohio State, Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota…all ranked teams. Not to mention how well they played against Kansas and Ohio State…who are both top 5 teams. Another loss was to a Penn State team who has beaten Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. So their schedule has been pretty tough over the last ten games. Should they have won some of those games? Probably, but they are one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten and it’s going to take some time before they learn how to win games.
Individually, there have been some players who have showed promise going forward for the Wolverines. Sophomore Darius Morris has shown tremendous ability to play the point guard position. Morris is leading the team in points and assists averaging 15 and 7. He actually had a triple double against Iowa on Sunday with 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. There is no doubt he is their best player and is the reason Michigan has had the success they have had. Freshman Tim Hardaway Jr. has also played well in his first season. He is averaging 12 points and 4 rebounds a game and has shown amazing athletic ability and good outside shooting. He will most definitely be a big part of Michigan’s future. Another freshman, forward Jordan Morgan has also played well the Wolverines. His numbers aren’t spectacular by any stretch, (9 points and 6 boards per game) but he has held his own, pretty much being Michigan’s only big guy. So there is no question Michigan has some talent…it’s just going to take some time before it translates into wins.
The big picture is that Michigan is young. There’s not one senior on the team. The only juniors who play are Douglas and Novak. Besides that, the team is full of freshman and sophomores. I don’t think that Michigan’s season should be judged on wins and losses as much as it should be judged on potential. Over the next 9 games Michigan has to keep the pedal to the metal and keep showing improvement. Whether or not it that translates into wins…I don’t know. But, Michigan will certainly be a better team at the end of the season.
Out of Michigan’s 9 games remaining, 5 are on the road. That’s the negative. The positive is... they will only face 3 more ranked teams, starting with Ohio State on Thursday in Columbus. If the Wolverines can get a couple quality wins down the stretch, they may still have a shot at the tournament. The chances are unlikely, but you never know. If not, there are definitely some things they can be excited about looking forward to the future.
Go Blue!
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