When the Michigan men’s gymnastics team had just 19 athletes on its roster four years ago, its gym felt spacious.

Now, with 24 gymnasts on the team, the boisterous practices bring the Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center alive with activity. But with seven members gone this week for the Winter Cup in Las Vegas, the facility seems cavernous and quiet once again.

That’s not unusual for Winter Cup weekend — but having a home meet on top of that is.

No. 11 University of Illinois-Chicago comes to Ann Arbor Saturday, and at any other time, a Wolverine victory would be a foregone conclusion. But this weekend, Michigan’s lineup will look very different — and it will take every ounce of grit to pull out the win.

“I think it’s going to be actually really close, but I think it’s going to be fun,” senior Joe Catrambone said. “We’re definitely going to have to fight like hell, a lot more than what we’ve been doing.”

Though the Flames aren’t an elite team like Penn State or Illinois, they've improved slowly over the past few years. Last weekend, the Flames beat No. 12 Temple with a 337.05 team total, their highest score of the season and just about 10 points behind the Wolverines’ average.

Nearly every top team that sends significant numbers of gymnasts to the Winter Cup also schedules a bye weekend. For the current crop of Wolverines, this will be their first time competing on the same weekend as the Cup.

No. 3 Michigan is excited to see most of its roster get the opportunity to compete, and possibly even earn a varsity letter this year. But the Wolverines’ final score almost assuredly won’t be up to their usual standards.

Take away the top seven competitors from any team, and the team will struggle. Michigan is no different.

On every event but floor and vault, the Wolverines will have just five competitors instead of the usual six. Catrambone, who had ankle surgery in November, and sophomore Ben Baldus-Strauss, who sustained a partially torn meniscus in the season opener, will both return in time to fill those lineups.

Wolverines who have long languished on the bench will get a chance to shine Saturday night. It will be the first collegiate team appearance for junior Evan Heiter; in his only other collegiate meet, he competed as an individual in the Pacific Coast All-Stars last year.

“It’ll just be a dream come true,” Heiter said. “This is what I work day in and day out for, and for it to finally be here, it’s really exciting.”

Redshirt freshman Devan Cote, who made his Michigan debut last week, will again be in the lineup. Fellow redshirt freshman Steve Crabtree will compete for the first time.

“It’s a 75-percent different lineup than anything we’ve ever put up,” Catrambone said. “We’ve never had a meet like this before. I think everyone is excited for it, and hopefully some guys will surprise us and come out with a big score.”