NCAA: Can Michigan succeed without superstar talent?

It has been a while since the maize and blue have been a constant staple in the NCAA tournament field of 64 (or 68 if you must). Over the last couple of years, names such as Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, Tim Hardaway Jr. and, to a lesser extent, Mitch McGary have returned the Michigan Wolverines basketball program to the weekly top 25 reports.

Two years ago the core of the Wolverines brought back memories of the Fab Five era. Sure they weren’t all freshmen and not all of them started, but the run and gun and fun was back in Ann Arbor. Burke played the role of Jalen Rose, guiding the offense and attacking the rack. Hardaway and Stauskas filled in the role of Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Up front GR3 and McGary replaced Chris Webber and Juwan Howard.

Sure the new batch weren’t mirror images and the positions and playing style might have been slightly different, but you get the jest of it.

This year’s edition of the Michigan Wolverines has the feel of the drop off from the Fab Five years to the Maurice Taylor/Robert Traylor-Louis Bullock era, minus the mental baggage. Yes there is talent, but will the team find similar success, both regular and post season that they had in the two previous years?

More from NBA

The Wolverines’ surprise run in 2013 to their first appearance in the NCAA championship game since the Fab Five took on North Carolina once again got people talking and taking notice of the work that John Beilein has put in at the school since taking over as the head coach in 2007. While the team was able to bounce around the top 25 last year, they again shocked many by making it to the Elite Eight, despite the loss of Burke, Hardaway Jr. (both to the NBA) and McGary (injury).

With Stauskas and Robinson joining their former Wolverine brothers in the NBA, the 2014-15 edition of the Wolverines appears void of a big name talent. Beilein returns only two starters this season with Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton Jr. The only two other players that saw significant floor time for Michigan last year were now sophomore Zac Irvin and junior Spike Albrecht, both of which will be asked to play a huge role for the Wolverines, but neither appear to be a “star”.

Mar 4, 2014; Champaign, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Michigan defeated Illinois 84-53. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports /

LeVert, who increased his scoring production by ten points in his sophomore season from 2.3 to 12.9 (though he did also see about twenty more minutes of action), appears poised to be the main focal point of the Wolverines offense. The junior was also the team’s second best distributor last year with just under three assists from the off guard position.

Jan 22, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Zak Irvin (21) shoots on Iowa Hawkeyes center Gabriel Olaseni (0) in the first half at Crisler Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Look for sophomore Zac Irvin to have a breakout season. After averaging 6.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in limited minutes, Irvin should slide into the starting small forward role and flourish under Beilein’s uptempo offense. If Irvin continues to follow the steps that LeVert has taken, the “star” label may be within reach for his junior season.

He may have to take a backseat to at the beginning of the season but the future of the Wolverines is freshman Kameron Chatman, who has everyone talking about a replacement for the departed Robinson. With length, athleticism and deep range shooting ability, the 6’7″ first year player will either challenge Irvin and LeVert for playing time before the season ends or allow Michigan to run a very big lineup with the three guards running together.

Mar 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines players on the bench react after a three-point basket against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half of the finals of the midwest regional of the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Chances are, the Wolverines (who face Syracuse and Arizona before Christmas and then a much improved Illinois club to kick off the Big Ten schedule on December 30th) may stumble early in the season, but once the young talent starts to mesh, look for the team to once again compete for the conference title, regardless of an absence of individual stardom.