Michigan Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser

 

Michigan Wolverines

Big Ten (19-12, 10-10)

 
Michigan took a chance on bringing in new coach Juwan Howard. The Wolverines performed well in non-conference play, picking up quality wins over teams like Creighton and Gonzaga. Big Ten play did not start off so well though. At one point Michigan was sitting at 2-6 in conference action and the NCAA Tournament seemed out of reach. However, Coach Howard rallied his team and they won seven of their next eight games and that stretch got them their ninth tournament appearance in the last ten years.
 
Big Wins: 11/12 Creighton (79-69), 11/29 vs Gonzaga (82-64), 2/8 Michigan State (77-68)
Bad Losses: 1/12 at Minnesota (67-75), 1/22 Penn State (63-72), 1/25 Illinois (62-64)
Coach: Juwan Howard
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Michigan does a great job of taking care of the ball and much of that is because of point guard Zavier Simpson. The senior dishes out an amazing 7.9 assists per game and adds 12.9 points. The backcourt also boasts double digit scorers Eli Brooks and Franz Wagner. The frontcourt is quite impressive too. Isaiah Livers has emerged as Michigan’s top scoring threat, averaging 12.9 points per game. He is also a very efficient outside shooter. Jon Teske will take some three-pointers too, but the 7-1 senior does most of his scoring in the paint.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
Michigan has a roster that is full of potential shooters. That is the way the previous coaching regime wanted it. However, this group has not been particularly consistent from long range. This is still a Michigan team that needs to hit some long balls and they usually do. However, when those shots are not falling and the Wolverines are not hitting their three-pointers, the offense can become stagnant. In many of their losses, Michigan was not hitting those shots and they wasted way too many possessions hoping three-pointers would fall. If that happens in March, Michigan could be in deep trouble.
 
Probable Starters:
Zavier Simpson, Senior, Guard, 12.9 ppg, 7.9 apg, 4.5 rpg
Franz Wagner, Freshman, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 1.0 apg, 5.6 rpg
Eli Brooks, Junior, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 2.0 apg
Isaiah Livers, Junior, Forward, 12.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Jon Teske, Senior, Center, 11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Brandon Johns, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Austin Davis, Senior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
David DeJulius, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg, 1.5 apg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.0 (74th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.3 (146, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.2 (49, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.3 (141, 12)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (101, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.9 (146, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.7 (144, 8)
Rebound Margin: 0.9 (156, 11)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (53, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.7 (14, 3)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 win over Montana
2019 NCAA Round of 32 win over Florida
2019 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Texas Tech
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over Montana
2018 NCAA Round of 32 win over Houston
2018 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Texas A&M
2018 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida State
2018 NCAA National Semifinal win over Loyola (IL)
2018 NCAA National Final loss to Villanova
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oklahoma State
2017 NCAA Round of 32 win over Louisville
2017 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oregon
2016 NCAA Opening Round win over Tulsa
2016 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wofford
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2014 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Dakota State
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over VCU
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Kansas
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida
2013 NCAA National Semifinal win over Syracuse
2013 NCAA National Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Ohio
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Clemson
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma
2007 NIT First Round win over Utah State
2007 NIT Second Round loss to Florida State
2006 NIT First Round win over UTEP
2006 NIT Second Round win over Notre Dame
2006 NIT Quarterfinal win over Miami
2006 NIT Semifinal win over Old Dominion
2006 NIT Final loss to South Carolina
2004 NIT First Round win over Missouri
2004 NIT Second Round win over Oklahoma
2004 NIT Quarterfinal win over Hawaii
2004 NIT Semifinal win over Oregon
2004 NIT Final win over Rutgers
 
*all team stats through 3/8