The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2015-16 BASKETBALL PREVIEW last season. MSU made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2015 and adds guard transfer Eron Harris to its rotation this season. U-M will be hungry to atone for last year. 2. Jan. 12 vs. Maryland — The Ter- rapins will be everybody's preseason fa- vorite, and they should be. Guard Melo Trimble, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, and big man Jake Layman both passed on the NBA Draft and will be among the conference's best players. The Terps also add a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in former Duke forward Rasheed Sulaimon and frosh big man Diamond Stone. U-M could prove itself a contender with a home win here in its fourth conference game of the season. 3. Feb. 28 at Wisconsin — Head coach Bo Ryan has won 90.5 percent of his home games, having gone 210- 22 during his tenure, but Michigan is responsible for one of the 22 defeats (2014). The Badgers lose five of their top seven scorers from a team that beat Ken- tucky in the Final Four and played for the national title, but they return talented guard Bronson Koenig and always seem to reload. This is a tough place to play, and the Wolverines only get the Bad- gers once. A win in the second-to-last game of the conference season would be huge. 4. Feb. 2 vs. Indiana — The Hoosiers return one of the nation's top backcourts in point guard Yogi Ferrell (16.1 points per game) and James Blackmon Jr. (15.8), and add some beef to their front- court in the way of four-star freshman center Thomas Bryant of Rochester, N.Y. Some believe a starting group of those three, along with wing Troy Williams and guard Robert Johnson, could be the Big Ten's most talented fivesome. 5. Jan. 7 at Purdue — The Boilermak- ers finished 12-6 in conference play a year ago and return four starters, includ- ing a much-improved big man in A.J. Hammons. Six of their top seven scor- ers return, including Rapheal Davis, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and they'll add a five-star prospect BEST OPPOSING PLAYERS Melo Trimble, Maryland: The sophomore led his team in scoring, assists, steals and three-pointers made last year en route to first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media. He might be the nation's top point guard this season. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana: Another outstanding point guard in a great year for them in the Big Ten. The senior averaged 16.3 points per game a year ago and is a close second to Trimble. He can pass, score and shoot the long ball. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State: The senior shooting guard is the Spar- tans' returning leader in scoring (14.5 points per game), rebounds (6.3) and assists (4.3). He is arguably the league's most versatile offensive player. Melo Trimble