The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1040273
50 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2018 2018-19 BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL QUICK GUIDE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING "Poole famously hit the game-winner for Michigan against Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament during the Wolverines' run to the national championship game. This sea- son, the 6-foot-5 sophomore will have a chance to show what he can do in John Beilein's backcourt, presumably as a starter. "Poole's results from beyond the arc as a freshman were merely pretty good (37.0 percent), but his ac- curacy at the line (82.7 percent) and his ability to record 108 three-point attempts in just 476 minutes both suggest good things to come in this area for Beilein." — ESPN's John Gasaway on naming sophomore guard Jordan Poole one of 15 national breakout candidates in college basketball "John Beilein's offseason extension made sense after he was courted by the Detroit Pistons following his run to the national title game. He lost Moritz Wagner, but Charles Mat- thews, a star during that run, is back to prove he's a legit NBA prospect. Plus, newcomer Ignas Brazdeikis looked good during the team's offseason trip to Spain. This team could have a highly ranked defense, win the Big Ten and make another deep tourney run." — ESPN's Myron Medcalf on Michigan's best-case scenario for 2018-19 "What I learned, though, is this: If Michigan is simply an okay defensive team, it will spend this up- coming season battling for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and struggle to finish in the top three of the Big Ten. There are some very legitimate ques- tions about where U-M's perimeter offense is going to come from. This is a program that over the last three years has averaged 9.3 made three-pointers per game on 24.8 attempts. In that span of time, [Muham- mad-Ali] Abdur-Rahkman, [Duncan] Robin- son and [Moritz] Wagner combined to make 493 threes. Last season, they combined to make 59.3 percent of Michigan's total three- pointers. "It's unclear how that shooting will be re- placed. There is no glaring answer and it showed in Spain. Michigan went 7 of 40 [from three] in its three games, including a 0-of-10 showing in the opener — the lone game it won." — The Athletic's Brendan Quinn on U-M's trip to Spain — Andrew Hussey BREAKOUT CANDIDATE Sophomore guard JORDAN POOLE hit the biggest shot of Michigan's season last year against Houston to send the Wolverines into the Sweet 16. However, his role was limited as he averaged only 12.2 minutes and 6.0 points per game. The former four-star recruit showed his upside in early December against Indi- ana when he had a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a 5-of-10 effort from deep. On the season, he shot 37.0 percent from three-point range, which is the highest mark of the returning players who played significant minutes last season. While the Milwaukee native only had 20 steals and six blocks as a freshman, he has the athleticism to increase those numbers. Limited playing time kept his statistics from ballooning, but his steal percentage of 2.5 ranked third on the team. That shows his potential to cause havoc on defense this season, while he could emerge as a go-to shooter on the other end of the floor. "As Wagner's backup, Teske mostly earned his keep on the defensive end, proving to be a presence down low who could alter shots and keep teams out of the paint. He says he was just trying to do his job and know his role — and shooting threes wasn't part of that equation. "Now, though, he's willing to shoot more. Part of that is being more confident. Wagner is in the NBA, and Teske understands his current status as the early favorite to replace Wagner." — The Detroit Free Press' Orion Sang on junior center Jon Teske working to replace departed starter Moritz Wagner PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN