The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 49 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW Big Ten, and this Boilermaker team looks to be on par with the excep- tional squads seen the past three years in West Lafayette. The game will take place in late January, so it should be clear by that point whether or not Michigan and Purdue are legitimate Big Ten title contenders. The Boilermakers have been led by their front- court in recent years, but should feature one of their best backcourts in recent memory. Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman will likely be tasked with slowing down emerging Purdue sophomore guard Carsen Edwards, which will be crucial to a Maize and Blue victory. Revenge will be on the Boilermakers' mind in this one after Michigan defeated them twice in a two-week span late last year. 5. Minnesota, Feb. 3 — The Gophers are projected to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season, so this game could also have major ramifications in the eyes of the selection committee. Michigan has had its way with Minnesota lately, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to the 2010-11 season. After being one of the younger teams in the league the last few years, the Gophers will finally field a veteran squad, led by reigning Big Ten De- fensive Player of the Year fifth-year senior center Reggie Lynch and first-team All-Big Ten senior point guard Nate Mason. Michigan does not travel to Minneapolis this season, so protecting home court will be vital in this one. By The Numbers 20 Was Michigan's final rank in KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency margin (adjusted for opponent) at the end of the year. The Wol- verines' adjusted offensive efficiency (122.3 points scored per 100 posses- sions) ranked fourth nationally, while the adjusted defensive efficiency (99.3) checked in at No. 70 in the land. 43.4 Points per game from last year's regular contributors moved on after the season, when Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin graduated, D.J. Wilson left for the NBA after his redshirt sophomore cam- paign and Mark Donnal departed as a graduate transfer. 37 Is where junior forward Moritz Wagner ranked on Athlon's listing of the top 100 players nationally. "Wagner is an elite offensive weapon as a stretch-5 whose ability to space the floor not only allows him to efficiently score but also creates space for teammates," the annual preview magazine wrote. "The biggest question: Can he slow down the opposition on defense?" Only two Big Ten players checked in higher — Michigan State forward Miles Bridges (No. 1) and Wisconsin center Ethan Happ (No. 6). 47 Wins in the last year of college action were posted by the teams of U-M's two transfers — graduate transfer point guard Jaaron Sim- mons (Ohio) and redshirt sophomore guard Charles Matthews (Kentucky). Simmons helped the Bobcats go 20-11 last year while averaging 15.9 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, while in 2015-16 Matthews helped the Wildcats finish 27-9, win the SEC and finish No. 10 in the As- sociated Press poll while averaging 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. 48 Was Matthews' national recruiting rank- ing coming out of Chicago St. Rita, ac- cording to Rivals.com. It is the highest on the squad, although Wagner (no numerical rank- ing), sophomores Jon Teske (No. 108) and Za- vier Simpson (No. 65) and rookie Jordan Poole (No. 106) were also listed as four-star signees by Rivals. Head coach John Beilein has called Matthews "a combination of [former Wolverines] Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III," who were both NBA Draft picks and are still playing in the league. 159 Three-pointers have been made at Michigan by fifth-year senior DUNCAN ROBINSON, which ranks 12th in school history (since 1986). His career 43.9 shooting percent- age from behind the arc is tied for fourth in program annals, while duplicating last year's 64 treys would give him a total of 223 to move him into sixth place all time, passing Zack Novak's 213 from 2009-12. BREAKOUT CANDIDATE Redshirt sophomore guard Charles Mat- thews has never actually played in a game at Michigan — he sat out last season af- ter transferring in from Kentucky — but is expected to emerge in a big way for the Wolverines this season. Rated as a four-star and top-50 player in the country out of high school, Mat- thews can do a little bit of everything on the court. At 6-6, he's a slasher who can get to the rim and finish, and is known for his supreme dunking ability. On the defensive side of the ball, he gained the reputation of being a lockdown defender on the Wolverines' scout team last year. Shooting may actually be the weakest part of Matthews' game, but that shouldn't be an issue considering how many players can score the ball on Michigan's roster. How well Matthews performs this season will be vital to the Maize and Blue's success. If the Chicago native winds up being as good as many are expecting him to be, the Wolverines could be in store for a special season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL