Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said that his Wolverines are a totally different team without senior center Chris Young in the lineup.

And fairly soon, Michigan"s margin for error inside could decrease dramatically as its lone legitimate backup at Young"s position, 7-foot-2 sophomore Josh Moore, said he"s once again contemplating surgery to repair a nagging herniated disk in his back and possibly missing the remainder of the season.

Moore said he"d talk with the coaches soon to make a final decision.

When Young is out, "we don"t have the same presence inside on offense or defense," Amaker said. "And it makes a difference for our team. We don"t have many guys who can step in there leaving us not much margin for error."

Not having the ability to go to Moore off the bench for the rest of the season would only exacerbate Michigan"s evident weakness in the post.

While Moore said that he doesn"t want to give up the year of eligibility, and still feels that he can be effective in the Michigan lineup, Moore realizes the dismal reality that he"s already confronting.

"I mean, I"m literally sitting out the year anyways," a somber Moore said. "I don"t want to (give up) but how much time do I got left?"

Amaker hasn"t played Moore in Michigan"s past two games against Bowling Green and No. 15 Boston College mainly because he said Moore"s injury hampers him from being as effective as the Wolverines need him to be on the court.

Amaker rewards consistent practice players with playing time, but with his injury, Moore simply hasn"t had enough time on the court in practice to prove himself. While no one wants to get on the court as much as Moore, he said he practiced only once last week, taking a cortizone shot last Tuesday and receiving nerve treatment on Friday. Not only does this sporadic schedule take away from Moore"s rhythm, but it also narrows his window of opportunity to impress the Michigan coaches.

"I"ve been trying everything I can to get better," Moore said. "And I can"t get better. All this poking and probing is wearing and tearing on me. I just have to think of what"s best for myself."

Higher Learning: Michigan freshman Marcus Bennett said he expects to return to practice on Wednesday or Thursday, pending the results from an exam he"s waiting on. The Michigan coaching staff has not played Bennett in its five games this season due to academic concerns they"ve had with him, and coach Tommy Amaker still labels the situation "day-to-day."

Bennett, who"s in the school of Kinesiology, said he"s sought extra help in the past few weeks in the form of tutoring, and has received great support from his teammates and coaches.

Hart-breaking: Freshman JaQuan Hart decided to leave the Ohio State basketball team this past weekend because "he did not want to continue his education," said coach Jim O" Brien in a released statement. After being turned away prior to this season by Michigan because Hart didn"t meet its academic requirements, he was planning on sitting out this year as a partial academic qualifier. While he was not eligible to play in games, he was practicing with the team. Hart could not be reached for comment.

Gonzo-gone: It is doubtful that junior backup quarterback Jermaine Gonzales, who also saw sparse action as point guard in five of Michigan"s basketball games last season, will return to the hardwood after his football season is over.

WTKA reported last week that Gonzales was planning on just sticking with football, as he"s likely to compete for the starting quarterback position next season.

Michigan basketball assistant coach Charles Ramsey said that there haven"t been talks with Gonzales yet, and while he"d love for Gonzales to join the team, he understands Gonzales" situation.

Notes: After leading the Wolverines with an average of 17 points per game during his first three games, junior Gavin Groninger has combined for just three points in Michigan"s past two games Amaker started two former walk-ons against Boston College in Mike Gotfredson and Rotolu Adebeyi, to go along with Young, Groninger and Avery Queen Michigan committed a season-high 21 turnovers, and in the second half it shot only 66 percent from the foul line.