Big Ten: Michigan’s Tough Season

To say that it has been a tumultuous season for Michigan would be an understatement. They have dealt with their best player from last season jetting off to the NBA, several injuries, and bad losses.

Their low point of the season came during a 72-70 loss against the New Jersey Institute of Technology. That was the first of four straight losses, and an embarrassing defeat few saw coming. To make matters worse, leading scorer Caris LeVert was lost for the season due to a left foot injury.

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Now, their third leading scorer Derrick Walton Jr. has missed the last two games due to a toe injury. John Beilein knows that Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are not walking through that door. Somehow this group continues to scrap and fight for victories. The Wolverines are not dead yet, but the road ahead is difficult.

Most recently, they went into the Breslin Center and suffered a close loss in overtime to rival Michigan State. Despite the loss, they were in the game until the very end, which is miraculous when you consider how shorthanded they were.

The “next man up” mantra that analysts and teams spew, seemingly everywhere, has truly been embodied this season in Ann Arbor.

Zak Irvin has taken over the role as leading scorer with LeVert out of the mix. Irvin is averaging 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 36.1 percent from outside. Irvin is probably being asked to do a bit more than his current skill-set would allow, but so far he’s giving them exactly what they need.

Irvin has a solid outside shot and has enough ball-handling ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He has not been a great finisher at the rim this season, but much of the reason for his 39.3 percent field goal percentage is due to his having to bail out Michigan at the end of the shot clock when a possession is turning into a disaster.

A few times a game, it seems like Irvin is forced to take a bad shot at the end of the clock because he is one of the few players on the team that can create his own shot. Irvin is better suited as a second or third option, but at this point Michigan does not have a choice. Irvin is the go-to guy.

Another player being asked to accept an increased role is Spike Albrecht. Albrecht has stepped up as the starting point guard in LeVert’s absence, but at times it has been a struggle. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11, but is a very smart player. He takes care of the ball (only 1.2 turnovers per game), and has proven to be a very capable outside shooter throughout his career.

He is only shooting 30.6 percent from three-point range this season, but last season he shot 38.7 percent. The performance has not been has consistent this season, but he still has the ability to get hot from deep.

Most of his career, he has only been an occasional shooter, with his primary role, being a temporary caretaker, as a backup point guard. The plague of injuries has thrust him into a larger role and we will find out if he can handle the challenge.

He showed exactly how well he can play when he’s knocking down outside shots against Michigan State. Albrecht finished with 18 points and nailed three three-point shots. He has shown the ability to perform at a high level, and he famously asked Kate Upton out on Twitter, so we know he has the confidence.

Other role players like Aubrey Dawkins, Max Bielfeldt, and Ricky Doyle have also risen to the occasion when asked to play more minutes. Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahkman exploded against Michigan State, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, after only averaging 9.2 minutes per game heading into the game. The continued development of these players will play a huge part in whether or not Michigan overcomes their injuries enough to sneak their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Their remaining Big Ten schedule features tough matchups with Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State, and Maryland. All are winnable games, especially the ones at home, but there are no guarantees in conference play.

At this point, I’d bet on Michigan missing the NCAA Tournament. After the loss to Michigan State, they are 13-9 on the season, and 6-4 in the Big Ten. The injuries and schedule will likely be too much to overcome. There are just not enough quality wins on their resume to make up for the bad losses. They would have to storm through the rest of their league schedule winning nearly every game to offset those negatives.

That being said, this team should be proud of what they have accomplished. To not be completely buried at the bottom of the standings after the adversity they have gone through is an achievement in itself.

No matter what happens, you can bet they will go down fighting.

Next: Big Ten Player of the Year Power Rankings

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