It had been 262 days since the Michigan men’s basketball team had last played a game. You wouldn’t have been able to tell though — at least offensively.
Despite a new look rotation that didn’t include veterans Zavier Simpson or Jon Teske for the first time since November 11, 2016, the Wolverines (1-0) handled their business in Saturday’s season opener beating Bowling Green (0-1), 96-82.
Livers was raw — Allison referred to him as a “chunky little thing” — and baseball was still his preferred sport. Nevertheless, Allison knew right away what Livers could become on a basketball court.
Given his offensive versatility, Brown will likely be a key member of the revamped Wolverines. The Daily broke down some of Brown’s best attributes and where he can take his game, and Michigan, to the next level.
The lone game on Michigan’s current schedule is a matchup with NC State as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 9. Beyond that, nothing is set in stone.
Zavier Simpson was the undisputed leader of the Michigan men’s basketball team a season ago. As he went, so did the Wolverines.
In addition to adjusting to their new lives off the court, freshmen have to adapt to the speed and physicality of the college game, learn new schemes and take on completely different roles. For most incoming freshmen, in no area is this leap more considerable than on defense — especially at the high-major level.
In spite of the circumstances, though, the Wolverines found ways to bond. Getting to know each other is a crucial first step for every team and with six new faces — consisting of two transfers and four freshmen — this was especially necessary for Michigan.
As much as the pandemic has taken away from sports, and specifically from college basketball programs like Michigan, the Wolverines have also found a silver lining through it all.
Just a few months ago, though, in a Michigan recruiting class that included five-star Isaiah Todd and was on the verge of adding five-star Josh Christopher, Dickinson was somewhat of an afterthought. It seemed back then that the 7-foot-1 center out of Maryland powerhouse DeMatha Catholic was going to be a noteworthy pickup for the Wolverines but wasn’t going to be the headliner of a loaded class. Then Christopher spurned Michigan for Arizona State and Todd opted for the NBA G-League in lieu of college ball. Suddenly, Dickinson was the featured name of a solid class.
While the pandemic disrupted Howard’s first season, it also demonstrated his knack for connecting with his team. Howard has been called a ‘players’ coach’ since arriving in Ann Arbor. With the Wolverines split up during quarantine, that characterization rang true.