The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan basketball effort, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Breakout Performer — Caris LeVert: LeVert struggled a bit at Iowa State, but he clearly provided the breakout performance of Michigan's opening three contests. He moved into the starting lineup at the beginning of the season, has supplied strong defense, and nailed a half-dozen three-pointers in Michigan's second win of the year. He's still learning, but with his length and athleticism, LeVert will bolster the Wolverines' fortunes greatly more nights than not this season. Impact Freshman — Derrick Walton Jr.: Walton Jr. has proven very steady, moving in to start at the point guard spot. In Michigan's first three games, he averaged 10.3 points, including a 13-point effort in the loss at Iowa State. He'll need to get separation between his assist and turnover totals (7-7, through three games), and shoot better from three-point range (2 of 10), but he'll improve as he adjusts to the speed of play at this level. Game To Watch — Michigan at Duke, Dec. 3: Cameron Indoor Stadium is no place for the fainthearted. But the Wolverines will benefit from having played in Ames, Iowa, already. They've faced one loud and hostile crowd, although the Cameron Crazies feature another level of challenge. — John Borton Basketball Notebook • Michigan proved plenty in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament last year, but has to prove itself against Michigan State to get to the top of the league this year, according to a preseason vote. The conference announced the annual top three as Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State at the Big Ten media day in Chicago Oct. 31. Meanwhile, a pair of Wolverines made preseason All-Big Ten. Sophomore Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary were chosen for the honor squad, along with Michigan State's Gary Harris and Adreian Payne, Ohio State's Aaron Craft and Penn State's Tim Frazier. Harris, the sophomore guard from MSU, garnered preseason Big Ten Player of the Year honors. McGary averaged 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last year in Michigan's run to the national title game. Robinson provided 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the season, starting all 39 Michigan games. He also shot 57.2 percent from the field, in helping the Wolverines climb to a 31-8 record. • The Wolverines earned the No. 7 spot in the Associated Press preseason rankings, while grabbing the No. 9 spot in the USA Today coaches' poll. The AP poll put Kentucky on top of its list with 27 first-place votes, while Michigan