In the offseason, it appeared as if Michigan basketball could be a national championship contender on paper. In the first game, that appeared to be the case, but in the early stages of the season, the Wolverines eked out some wins that were thought to be layups, creating some curiosity about how good this maize and blue team really might be.
But then they went to Las Vegas and started to steamroll every team in their path. And while not every game is a 30-or-40-point win, Michigan is still regularly dominating teams that don’t often get dominated.
On Wednesday, ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg shared why this Wolverines team might be the one to beat, noting that the roster composition is particularly special.
“They don’t have top 10 guys, but they’ve got a bunch of NBA players,” Greenberg said. “And what’s been so effective is how they’ve utilized the portal. They hit a home run in the portal. Aday Mara, UCLA transfer, protects the front of the rim, 7-footer. Yaxel Lendeborg was probably the most pursued player in the portal from UAB. 6-9, small forward, who can also slide to the 4 if you want to play small. Elliot Cadeau, who played at North Carolina last year, taking care of the basketball explosive in transition. Morez Johnson, so those four guys. You get an elite freshman in McKenney, and then you retain the key guys. Well, that’s really important. Roddy Gayle, you retain him. You retain Nimari Burnett. You retain Tschetter. You have depth that now, all of a sudden, you can play with anyone because of the roster.”
The Wolverines beat Purdue by 11 points on Tuesday night but have their biggest regular-season challenge yet on Saturday, when they go to Washington, D.C., to face a Duke team that is ranked just below them at No. 2 in the KenPom rankings.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN’s Seth Greenberg reveals why Michigan is a national contender
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
