Tag: michigan-basketball

Michigan basketball reaches out to top-five ranked transfer

This would be a HUGE get if #Michigan can make it happen!

The Wolverines basketball squad is expected to be active in the transfer portal this offseason. Michigan already made the top 10 for one of its top transfer targets, and the Wolverines have reached out to a huge transfer target.

Forward Chris Leldum out of Harvard announced he was going to enter the transfer portal in early March. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year playing in the Ivy League. Ledlum was an All-Ivy League selection after his phenomenal play.

According to Adam Zagoria, Michigan basketball — among many others — has already reached out to the former Harvard forward.

According to On3, Ledlum is ranked No. 5 in the transfer portal player rankings.

The Wolverines need forward help for next season. Ledlum has the ability to play the 2, 3 or 4 position. He’s not a great 3-point shooter, shooting only 29% from deep last year. But he is a ferocious rebounder who averaged nine boards a game two years ago and over eight this past season.

Ledlum played three seasons at Harvard and would have two seasons of eligibility left if he chooses.

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Michigan basketball makes top 10 list for top transfer target

#Michigan has a chance to land him!

It was a disappointing season with a poetic ending for the Michigan basketball team. The Wolverines squandered a eight-point lead with one minute remaining in their final game against Vanderbilt in the NIT Tournament — something Michigan frequently did this season.

The Wolverines are now in their offseason and roster moves will be happening. So far, Michigan has lost Isaiah Barnes to the transfer portal and the Wolverines are waiting on decisions from Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin, and Jett Howard on their NBA decisions.

While waiting on decisions from the current roster, Juwan Howard and Michigan isn’t wasting time on looking to add from the transfer portal.

The Wolverines are highly targeting Wofford transfer B.J. Mack. The 6-foot-8 power forward averaged over 16 points per game and over five rebounds last year. Mack went to Twitter to announce his top 10 schools he will be considering for next season and the Wolverines made his list.

Mack spoke with 247Sports about each of his top 10 schools he is deciding between. Here is what he had to say about the Wolverines:

“Juwan Howard has been recruiting me throughout this process. He is somebody that played my position at the highest level and has reached a goal of mine. He is a legendary coach and a legendary player. I feel being able to play beside an All-American in Hunter Dickinson is a great opportunity. I want to be on that exposure level because there are going to be NBA scouts at every game that you play. Being there with them is highly intriguing.”

Michigan struggled mightily to get consistent help at the 4 position this season. Terrance Williams started the year there, but Will Tschetter got his chance as well. Neither looked to be the answer going forward. Mack could be a good addition to the Wolverines if Howard and Co. can land him.

According to the On3 transfer portal rankings, Mack is listed as the 59th-best  player and a four-star.

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Michigan basketball player to enter NCAA transfer portal

Bummer it didn’t work out.

Michigan basketball ended its 2022-23 season on a whimper, losing to Vanderbilt in stunning fashion in the second round of the NIT. It appears the Wolverines are about to lose another battle in a way.

In his second year with the program, shooting guard Isaiah Barnes, a former four-star recruit, didn’t see much time on the court. This was supposed to be a season in which he could be in the rotation, but he didn’t participate outside of early in the season.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Barnes intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Barnes was the No. 117 recruit in the 2021 class per the 247Sports composite. He appeared in 15 games in 2022-23 and just two in 2021-22. He averaged 1.1 points per game this past season. He will have three years of eligibility at his next school of choice.

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Michigan basketball eyeing a Pittsburgh Panther transfer

I like the fit here. #GoBlue

It was reported Michigan basketball had contacted former Wofford forward B.J. Mack, who entered the transfer portal last week.

Well, the Wolverines are still looking around the portal to see who they may be able to snag this year. On Thursday, Joe Tipton of On3 reported Michigan was one of many teams to contact Pittsburgh Panther John Hugley.

Hugley played in only eight games this season before announcing he would sit the remainder of the year to focus on his mental health.

The 6-foot-9, 265-pound forward from Cleveland, Ohio, was a junior this season and averaged eight points and 3.6 rebounds in the eight games he played.

Last season, Hugley led the Panthers in scoring, 14.8 points per game, and rebounding, 7.9 rebounds per game.

He is the second forward we know Michigan has contacted. Mack, the former Wofford player, is more of a stretch four whereas Hugley is more of a bruiser down low.

The Wolverines struggled to find consistent production from the power forward spot this season and that may be where Michigan looks in the transfer portal for next season.

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Michigan basketball targeting Wofford transfer

Could be a nice addition!

Michigan basketball was active in the transfer portal last season, getting Joey Baker from Duke and Jaelin Llewellyn from Princeton.

It appears the Wolverines may be active again this offseason. The maize and blue may need to be if they lose anyone to the portal or if Michigan loses any of the trio of Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin or Jett Howard to the NBA draft.

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Michigan has contacted Wofford transfer B.J. Mack who entered the portal last week. Mack has played the past three seasons for the Terriers. He originally committed to USF where he played for one season. He is listed as 6 feet, 8 inches and 261 pounds.

Mack shot nearly 50% from the field and 33% from 3 last past season. If Michigan brought Mack in, he has shown to be a better 3 point shooter than his 33%. Two seasons ago, he shot nearly 45% from 3, which would provide a stretch four for the Wolverines.

According to the On3 transfer rankings, Mack is the No. 19 transfer available and is a four-star transfer.

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Michigan basketball hoping to receive a sixth year of eligibility for veteran forward

Let’s hope #Michigan can get him back!

It wasn’t the season Michigan basketball had in mind. Neither was it the season Duke transfer Joey Baker thought the Wolverines would have when he decided to transfer to Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines finished the regular season losing back-to-back games to Illinois and Indiana. However, Michigan had a chance to still make the NCAA Tournament if it beat Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament. Unfortunately, the maize and blue couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean in the second half and made just four shots in the final 20 minutes.

Michigan accepted an invitation to play in the NIT, and the third-seeded Wolverines took down Toledo, 90-80, on Tuesday evening.

Freshman Jett Howard was sidelined due to an ankle injury and graduate transfer Baker started in his place and shined. Baker scored 21 points while draining five 3-pointers.

Baker transferred to Michigan after spending his first four years playing at Duke. But after the game, Baker was asked by the media if there were any possibility he would apply for a sixth year of eligibility and if he was granted so, would he come back to Michigan.

“We’ll see what happens,” Bakers said about applying for a sixth-year. “Potentially.

“Absolutely,” he said on if he would come back to Michigan. “If I got it, I’m back here.”

Juwan Howard, of course, was asked about Baker potentially coming back next season. Howard would welcome Baker back with open arms and told the media the Wolverines would attempt to bring the veteran back.

“There’s also a few other hurdles that we have to dive deep into,” Howard admitted. “Hopefully, you know, we’re gonna try hard. We’re gonna give it our best shot and we would love to have him back. Not just because of the shooting, but just overall the person and he just fits in the locker room.”

If the Wolverines could bring Baker back, that would be a huge boost for next season. Michigan is hoping to get Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin all back for next season as well. All three players have been linked to the NBA.

Baker and the Wolverines will play against the second-seeded Vanderbilt on Saturday at noon ET. 

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Michigan basketball postseason fate revealed

Still playing for something. #GoBlue

Michigan basketball had every opportunity in the world to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament and rest easy on Selection Sunday, and with a late-season winning streak, it appeared the Wolverines were en route to making it to the big dance. However, the maize and blue lost their last two regular-season games and were quickly ousted from the Big Ten Tournament, ensuring that March Madness proper wasn’t an option.

And that was accurate, as when the names were called, the Michigan Wolverines were not one of them.

So, where does that leave the team in Ann Arbor? The good news is there’s still something to play for, as the NIT, the lesser tournament, was still an option.

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Michigan ended up making the NIT and enters as a 3-seed meaning that the Wolverines will be hosting in the early rounds, assuming they win. The first opponent is Toledo. The NIT semifinals is in Las Vegas, which is also where the NIT Championship is to be held.

While it might not be an ideal outcome given the promise of the season, considering how poorly the Wolverines played in stretches, it’s at least a consolation that they have any games available to play at all, thus giving extra experience for a young team.

(Ed. note: this article has been updated to address an error.)

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Michigan’s men’s basketball all-time roster: Wolverine legends

Did your favorite player make the list? #GoBlue

The 2022-23 Michigan basketball regular season is officially over, but legends can be built in the postseason, if they weren’t built already. In fact, if you look back on the program, most Wolverine legends came to be due to how they performed in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

So which players were the best to ever wear maize and blue on the hardwood? That can be a contentious argument, given some well-known names wouldn’t be in many fans’ top five. And going even further, if you were to delineate between starters and backups at different positions, would the program’s all-time leading scorer be a backup in that scenario?

Michigan basketball has had many top names come through, from Cazzie Russell to Glen Rice, from the Fab Five to Robert “Tractor” Traylor, from the full cast of the 1989 national championship team, to any who made Final Fours under John Beilein.

Here is who would make our all-time team when it comes to Michigan basketball.

Michigan basketball vs. Rutgers takeaways

What a disappointing season. #GoBlue

Michigan basketball was on a heater entering March, but the Wolverines squandered two straight games in overtime to Illinois and Indiana to make things much for difficult on themselves.

The maize and blue could’ve entered the Big Ten Tournament as high as the No. 2 seed, but due to two inexplicable losses, Michigan entered as the No. 8 seed and the Wolverines had a rematch with Rutgers on Thursday.

Michigan defeated the Scarlet Knights by 13 points earlier in the season and the Wolverines badly need at least one win in the Big Ten Tournament to have any chance to go dancing.

The Wolverines started fast against Rutgers taking a 9-2 lead, but the Scarlet Knights stormed back into the game. Michigan entered halftime with a slight three-point lead, 28-25. The Wolverines shot 48% from the field but between giving up seven turnovers and Rutgers securing eight offensive boards — the game was close.

But the Wolverines couldn’t muster anything at all offensively in the second half and Rutgers took the win with ease. Michigan shot 4-for-21 from the field in the second and the Wolverines fell to the Scarlet Knights, 62-50.

Here are three takeaways.

Jon Rothstein shares how Michigan basketball gets into the NCAA Tournament

#Michigan has work to do. #GoBlue

Michigan basketball had practically played its way into the NCAA Tournament after beating Michigan State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin. All the Wolverines needed to do — according to bracketologists — was to beat either Illinois or Indiana and maybe win one game in the Big Ten Tournament.

But Michigan fell apart down the stretch to both the Illini and the Hoosiers and lost both games in overtime. Now, the No. 8 seeded Wolverines will play Rutgers on Thursday at noon ET. to carve their way into the big dance.

But according to CBS Sports college basketball insider, Jon Rothstein, he thinks the Wolverines are playing well enough they could be in conversation to make the NCAA Tournament now. Rothstein believes if the maize and blue can take down Rutgers and then beat No. 1 Purdue — Michigan is in. But maybe even just a win against the Scarlet Knights might do the trick for the Wolverines.

“Michigan is going to play essentially a play-in game against Rutgers in the first Big Ten Tournament game it has,” said Rothstein. “Then it gets a chance against Purdue. With two wins, Michigan will make the NCAA Tournament, and with one win it will be close. But, here’s the thing, I know this being in the mock selection of the bracket, late in the year, the committee will look at a team on the bubble and say ‘is that team a NCAA Tournament team’? If you’re good enough to go to Illinois and go to Indiana and go to overtime, you’re good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament. Gotta beat Rutgers.”

Michigan was one of the hottest teams in all of college basketball going 6-2 during Big Ten play. The Wolverines had full control against Illinois and Indiana but squandered opportunities late to go 0-2 in March.

The Wolverines took down Rutgers in their lone meeting this year by 13 but lost to Purdue in their only meeting by five. It’s safe to say Michigan will need to defeat the Scarlet Knights to have any shot whatsoever.

As Rothstein said, a win against Rutgers and Purdue just may get Michigan in favor of the selection committee.

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