All five forwards on the Michigan men's basketball team are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

And anyone familiar with the Wolverines will vouch that youthfulness is the team’s most significant problem. Those post players especially have shown their inexperience.

Redshirt freshman Jordan Morgan has been Michigan coach John Beilein’s starting center/forward in every game this season. Tied for the Big Ten’s leading offensive rebounder, averaging four per game, Morgan is also the second-leading scorer on Michigan’s squad — notching about 11 points per game.

Morgan credits his redshirt season for his growth.

“Playing against players like DeShawn (Sims) or Zack (Gibson) last year and just going through practice and everything, I’m a little more comfortable with what needs to be fulfilled through the role of the five-man,” Morgan said after Saturday's game against Harvard. “I definitely feel more comfortable, especially as the games go on, just trying to do my job for the team.”

But in Beilein’s offensive scheme, Morgan is normally accompanied by four guards, making him the only threat in the paint. That role has caused Morgan to play more aggressively at times, and he has been whistled for a team-high 24 personal fouls.

“Morgan has good defense, but doesn’t have really good defense when he’s sitting next to me," Beilein said last Friday. "The harmless fouls that he doesn’t have to necessarily commit are huge things that we are working on.”

As a result of these fouls, the Wolverines (6-2) have have been forced to dig deep into their lineup to see how the other forwards would perform. Redshirt freshman Blake McLimans and freshman Colton Christian have been Morgan’s primary replacements.

In Michigan's 65-56 loss to the University of Texas-El Paso on Nov. 27, McLimans replaced Morgan after four fouls.

The Miners didn’t cover McLimans outside the paint, giving him open looks, but he went 0-for-4 from three-point range.

“It was kind of depressing,” McLimans said of his shooting drought against UTEP. “I’m a big man that can shoot, that’s kind of my M.O., so it’s something I’m going to have to work on.”

A week later, McLimans had to cover Harvard’s leading scorer, forward Keith Wright, when Morgan was in foul trouble again. But this time against the Crimson, McLimans contributed on the defensive end in his seven minutes of play by holding Wright to just two points. Wright finished the game with a total of 18 points.

On offense, McLimans scored four points, collected one rebound, and swatted a block in the brief time that he was on the floor.

But McLimans isn’t the only big man who takes pride in his shooting. Freshman Evan Smotrycz has turned out to be one of Michigan’s go-to guys on the perimeter. Smotrycz scored a career-high 18 points in the Wolverines’ 69-61 win against Clemson on Nov. 30.

But less than a week later against Harvard, Smotrycz posted zero points. That type of inconsistency is exactly what Beilein attributes to youth, and something that Michigan is trying to avoid — especially from its forwards.