The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
NOVEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 35 2022-23 BASKETBALL PREVIEW FRONT COURT HAS TALENT, BUT ALSO QUESTION MARKS Dickinson's presence is one of the rea- sons for the coach's confidence. He's been dominant in the post since he arrived at Michigan, and last year he added the 3-ball to his repertoire. The Wolverines weren't getting much shooting from the power forward position, so the coaches gave their center more of a green light to shoot. He responded with 32.8 percent accuracy from beyond the arc and continued to work on that part of his game this summer. Michigan wants more outside produc- tion at the 4, and that's where Williams will be called upon. He, too, improved dra- matically in that area, from 1-for-12 as a freshman to 38.5 percent last season, and he's also continued to develop that aspect of his game. Williams can play the 3 or the 4 for Michigan, and he'll get shots at both. When Williams is not on the floor as a power forward, sophomore Will Tschetter, freshman Tarris Reed Jr. or junior captain Jace Howard could be. Tschetter has added good weight up to 240 pounds from 220, and he can play in- side or out. Reed can shoot it, too, though Juwan Howard calls him more of an "old school" big man, while Jace Howard is the guy who does a lot of the dirty work on the floor. His energy has been infectious, and there will be some minutes available for him because of it. Overall, Dickinson said, there's a better vibe on this year's team and a chemistry that might have been missing last season. "I think people on the team would say that we had more talent last year than this year, from a raw talent perspective," he said. "But I think this year the pieces fit a lot better. "Don't get me wrong — we still have a lot of talent. [Freshman wing] Jett How- ard is definitely an NBA player. [Princ- eton transfer and point guard] Jaelin [Llewellyn] and [Duke transfer and shoot- ing guard] Joey [Baker] will be high-im- pact players. "We brought in a lot of talent, and I think it fits a lot better. Guys play for each other a lot more this year. It will be a lot more successful season for us." REVAMPED BACKCOURT COULD HOLD THE KEY TO SUCCESS But as many have ac- knowledged over the last several years, college bas- ketball is now a guard's game. If you've got a great point guard and some shooters around him, you're going to score. If not, life gets a bit harder. Howard believes he has two outstand- ing options to handle the ball, even with Frankie Collins transferring to Arizona State after only one season. One is a grad student, the other a freshman who's al- ready turning heads. Llewellyn is the former. He averaged 15.7 points per game as an All-Ivy League pick at Princeton last year, and he's made a great impression as a player and a leader in his few months with the program. "Jaelin has been great for us so far. I love how he's been a leader … how he leads," Howard said. "Sometimes it can be vocally as well as soft-spoken by his actions. "He's also been able to transition into our system and is able to read different 2022-23 U-M Men's Basketball Schedule Date Opponent Time* (TV) Nov. 4 Ferris State (Exhibition) 7 p.m. (BTN+) Nov. 7 Purdue Fort Wayne 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Nov. 11 vs. Eastern Michigan^ 9 p.m. (ESPNU) Nov. 16 Pittsburgh* 6 p.m. (ESPNU) Nov. 17 Arizona State/VCU+ TBD (ESPN2) Nov. 20 Ohio 7:30 p.m. (BTN) Nov. 23 Jackson State 8:30 p.m. (BTN) Nov. 29 Virginia% 9:30 p.m. (ESPN) Dec. 4 vs. Kentucky# 1 p.m. (ABC) Dec. 8 at Minnesota 10 p.m. (BTN) Dec. 17 Lipscomb 4 p.m. (BTN+) Dec. 21 vs. North Carolina$ 7 p.m. (ESPN) Dec. 29 Central Michigan TBD Jan. 1 Maryland 4:30 p.m. (FS1) Jan. 4 Penn State 7 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 7 at Michigan State 2:30 p.m. (FOX) Jan. 12 at Iowa 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Jan. 15 Northwestern TBD (BTN) Jan. 19 at Maryland 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Jan. 22 Minnesota TBD (BTN) Jan. 26 Purdue 9 p.m. (FS1) Jan. 29 at Penn State 12 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 2 at Northwestern 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Feb. 5 Ohio State 1 p.m. (CBS) Feb. 8 Nebraska 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 11 Indiana 6 p.m. (ESPN) Feb. 14 at Wisconsin 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) Feb. 18 Michigan State 9 p.m. (FOX) Feb. 23 at Rutgers 8:30 p.m. (FS1) Feb. 26 Wisconsin 2 p.m. (CBS) Mar. 2 at Illinois 7 p.m. (ESPN) Mar. 5 at Indiana 4:30 p.m. (CBS) * All times Eastern ^ at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit + at Legends Classic, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. % ACC/Big Ten Challenge # at London Showcase, O2 Arena, London, England $ at Jumpman Invitational, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C. After advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, head coach Juwan Howard's squad is ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press preseason poll. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS