Correction appended: A previous version of this story said Ashley Jones averaged 20 points per game her junior season. She averaged 3.6.

There are a lot of question marks and not a lot of answers coming along with the start of the women's basketball team's season.

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The Wolverines went 10-20 last season and are ready to start fresh.

Of last season's six returning players, just two of them – junior guard Veronica Hicks and senior center Krista Phillips – were regular starters. If Michigan wants to improve, Michigan's sophomores will need to step up this year. In addition, the freshman class, led by highly touted guard Dayeesha Hollins, will need to make an impact on the court.

"I think Dayeesha Hollins is ready to play," Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said at Big Ten Media Day last week. "I really do. I think she is a kid that you can expect to play and you can expect to do well. I don't think it's fair to put the weight on her shoulders, but I think she is a kid that needs to be played."

In past years, Borseth has given freshmen the choice to redshirt if they don't think they are ready to play on the Big Ten stage, but that likely won't be an option this year.

"We don't necessarily want to have to count on young kids too often, but we're in that position now in our program," Borseth said. "We don't know who those people are going to be or what they're going to be able to do when the lights come on."

With a young roster, the program will be able to build consistency over the next few years. Once the freshmen have a season of experience, Borseth is hoping for big things.

"Dayeesha Hollins can deliver," Borseth said. "She's not selfish. We get selfish players, and I teach them to be unselfish so they can make players around them better."

Big shoes to fill: Ashley Jones is back after redshirting her senior season due to a foot injury. She was a team leader even while restrained to the bench last season, but she can now be a much-needed leader on the court, too.

"She's definitely a glue player," Hicks said. "She helps our program stick together. Losing her last year was like a big blow to us ... She is just someone you can't replace. She is the type of person you really want on your team and she is the type of person who helps you build your program."

Two years ago, as a junior, Jones averaged just over three points per game but was a big part of the team's 19-14 finish as a role player.

"She is really good at taking the ball to the basket," Phillips said. "I think that is something we were really missing is someone who can really slash to the basket and take it to the hole and finish."

The numbers: The Wolverines are ignoring the fact that they are ranked last in both the preseason Big Ten coaches poll and media poll. While teams like Ohio State and Michigan State – ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference, are circled on every opponent's calendar, Michigan is skipped over. Nobody else in the league expects big things out of the young team this year.

"Any time you bring in young kids, they're wet behind the ears and it's a little more difficult," Borseth said. "So there's going to be some growing pains ... but we sure got some kids that are going to be able to contribute to our success."