Michigan Wolverines Basketball

John Beilein isn’t facing a “rebuilding year,” but a little rearranging is most certainly in the Michigan coach’s future.

With that said, greats find ways to win, regardless of time, circumstance or personnel, and for the past seven years, Beilein’s done that with the Wolverines, give or take a season.

But he’s also benefited from having the Trey Burkes and Nik Stauskases of the world. And while he doesn’t have one of those readily available for 2014-15, he does have Caris LeVert, Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin, along with a few others.

Considering the returning talent and the up-and-comers, Michigan stands to be a worthy competitor this season in the Big Ten. And considering Beilein doesn’t have an obvious program superstar, although LeVert could flirt with that title this year, his masterful X’ing and O’ing becomes all the more important.

Drawing it Up

Michigan’s 2014-15 schedule, via MGoBlue.

In addition to losing Stauskas, Beilein is without Mitch McGary (NBA), Glenn Robinson III (NBA) and Jon Horford (graduate transfer).

Stauskas and Robinson III were two big reasons Michigan was able to conquer one of the toughest schedules in the nation—No. 5, per CBS Sports; No. 1, per Team Rankings—on its way to the 2014 Elite Eight.

And that was done without Burke, the 2013 consensus player of the year.

Strength-of-schedule ranking develops as the season progresses. With national powers Arizona and Syracuse, not to mention VCU—which has made it to the dance each year since 2009 (2011 Final Four)—and Villanova—another tournament team—waiting in the preseason, Beilein will be tested every time he turns around.

Beilein versus VCU’S Shaka Smart. Beilein versus Syracuse/NCAA legend Jim Boeheim.

Think about it and then take another look at Beilein’s roster.

The word “test” doesn’t begin to describe it. And then it’s on to the Big Ten playland, where he’ll face Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Indiana’s Tom Crean and Ohio State’s Thad Matta.

Player versus player, coach versus coach. It won't be a walk in the park by any means. 

What Could Be

Everyone expects LeVert to lead the Wolverines; the 6’7”, 200-pound junior is one of the country’s top wings and among the best NBA prospects in the Big Ten.

Realistically, Walton is expected to be right there with him; the 6’0”, 185-pound sophomore is destined to be a star point guard. He’ll play a heavy role in the outcome of 2014-15.

At 6’6” and 215 pounds, Irvin should also greatly influence the tides. Athletically, he’s growing at a similar pace that bumped LeVert into the spotlight in 2013-14, according to UM Hoops’ Alejandro Zuniga.

And of course, Spike Albrecht, a 5’11”, 175-pound quintessential underdog, will also have a say.

Interchangeable parts Ricky Doyle and Mark Donnal have the makings of a powerful duo. They’re both roughly 6’9” and 240 pounds, and they both play inside and outside. They could end up being invaluable to Michigan, which is in dire need of frontcourt power.

But there are a lot of “ifs” and “buts” that must happen—and don’t forget about the “when” and the “where,” either. Variables abundant, Beilein—who may actually have a slightly underrated team when it’s all said and done—has a few hills to climb and obstacles to dodge on the road to the NCAA tournament.

If his players' talent doesn’t get him there, his coaching will.

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines basketball writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

They're each roughly 6'9" and 240 pounds. One has an inside game, one has an outside game—and both should be steady contributors to Michigan in 2014-15. 

But don't ask Wolverines coach John Beilein to pigeonhole either one right now, as redshirt freshman Mark Donnal and true freshman Ricky Doyle have more to offer than what meets the eye:

I need to watch both of them more, but at the end of the preseason here, when we get into November, one will probably have the upper hand on the other, but I can't make that call yet. We may get situational sometimes, but I wouldn't discount Mark's inside game or Ricky's outside game.

The perception would be that one is one thing and the other is the other thing, but I think both have the ability to play the other's game, and that's what we're working on, so they can be really versatile.

True enough. It's early (really early), so pegging them into definite roles would be a bit premature. However, there's no harm in a little projection, as each stands to give Michigan a leg up on the rest of the Big Ten. 

One's going to have range while the other will live in the paint. Or is that the other way around?

This is a "problem" that any coach would like to have. Once Doyle and Donnal figure out their purpose, Beilein, a professional developer, should have one of best young forward tandems in the Big Ten. 

Fresh Frontcourt

This year's frontcourt is one of Beilein's youngest since arriving at Michigan. That's not a bad thing; he knows how to bring out the best in his athletes. They may not take the Big Ten by storm this season, but the combination of Donnal and Doyle should evolve into something special. 

Michigan's team trip to Italy yielded great results. Caris LeVert regained health, nearing 100 percent recovery from surgery on his right foot, while Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin also made strides in the right direction. 

But those guys are guards. Well, LeVert can play forward, but let's keep it simple...

What about the true power forwards/centers? Mitch McGary is gone. So is Jordan Morgan, whose experience and knowledge will be difficult to replace.

As mentioned, the frontcourt is young. But Beilein isn't complaining about that. Instead, he enjoys watching it grow. 

"Both Ricky and Mark have had interesting games," Beilein said, per Jake Lourim of The Michigan Daily, UM's student media source. "One time, Ricky didn't get a rebound (in Italy) and then Mark all of a sudden had a double-double. Both of them are making really good progress. We'd like to see more, but I like what I've seen."

Bacari Alexander, Beilein's top assistant, recently discussed the potential of a Doyle/Donnal frontcourt during an interview with Sam Webb on WTKA 1050 (via Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press).

Doyle is "thunder," and Donnal is "lightning," he says.

There's early signs of the potential of all three of our bigs, if you talk about Max Bielfeldt, as well, who's coming back from a hip procedure. Being able to knock down 15-to-17-foot jumpers. Where that becomes important on the court is when teams are trying to use their defensive big to sag off and disrupt cutting action and things of that nature.

If you can develop those guys to a level where they keep defenses honest with the ability to do that, which all three of the players have shown early on, it give us a different dimension. It gives us an opportunity to explore some different things.

Lots of coach talk. That's what they do. Everything is technical, tactical and precise (foggy). Allow for a loose translation: These two can ball, and Michigan can't wait to see what they can do.

There. That sounds better, doesn't it? 

The Scoop on Doyle

A few months ago, Doyle seemed all but destined for a redshirt. He was too raw. At the time, a year of learning from the bench and not on the court seemed like a smart move—and according to Matt Herting, who coached Doyle at Ft. Myers Bishop Verot, that probably wouldn't have mattered. 

"His thinking was, he committed to play basketball at Michigan, so he's going to do everything he can to play basketball at Michigan," Herting, who saw "50-50" odds of Doyle redshirting, told MLive's Brendan F. Quinn in June. "If coming up early is going to give him the best chance to play, then he might as well. I think it was a no-brainer for he and his family."

According to 247Sports, Doyle was the No. 50-ranked power forward and No. 203-ranked overall prospect of 2014.

The Deal on Donnal

Donnal was the No. 18-ranked power forward and No. 86-ranked overall prospect of 2013. He ended up wearing red for his first year of college.

So he's a higher-ranked guy who ended up taking a seat on the bench? But this year, a lower-ranked guy is primed for immediate action? And they're interchangeable and play in similar fashions? 

Yes.

But personnel played a factor for Donnal, who, unlike Doyle, joined a team with established forwards. Now that he has a year of experience on his resume, he's ready for action. In a sense, that was the best thing for him, as the Wolverines did fine without him. 

That was Beilein's developmental touch at work. With Doyle and Donnal ready to pounce, Beilein's in line to compete for a Big Ten title and extended run through March. 

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines basketball writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Opening quote from John Beilein was obtained via press release from the Michigan athletic department.

Mixing and matching has always been one of John Beilein’s strengths.

Now in his eighth year as Michigan basketball’s head coach, the celebrated tactician will undoubtedly take some time to twist and turn his roster until he’s comfortable heading into Big Ten play and, ultimately, March.

During a press conference Thursday at the Crisler Center, Beilein spoke of his team’s moving parts—particularly the potential of his freshmen and underclassmen who greatly benefited from the team’s summer trip to Italy.

Considering their losses, that’s a welcome sign for the Wolverines as they head into 2014-15.

However, they're without NBA draftees Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III, who accounted for roughly 30 of 74 points per game this past season, and Mitch McGary, who was sidelined with a back injury but could have added another dimension of physicality and scoring this season.

With practice beginning Saturday, Beilein will really find out who can do what. Kameron Chatman, a 6’7”, 210-pound frosh, should be one to watch.

"He’s going to play both forward positions, and if we ever got stuck, he could play in the backcourt,” Beilein said via UM press release. “He has done some really good things and all of the freshmen are OK. What happens when we string two or three weeks together? This summer, even though we did get to practice, it was at like seven o'clock at night after a day of classes and study hall. When we can put practices back-to-back it's going to be really exciting to see his development."

Chatman’s ability to score from anywhere, play defense and glide the floor is only the tip of the iceberg. With his size and natural instincts, the former 4-star recruit could end up having a bar-setting, two- or three-year career before jumping to the NBA.

His pure talent complements an incoming group that’s booming with wattage from the guard position and brimming with potential up front.

"We have a lot of young guys; we're a growing team,” said Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Caris LeVert. “Each and every day, we're just trying to get better and learn more and maximize our potential. They're an eager group to learn and they're really athletic and energetic and they're ready to get going.”

The junior winger saw freshmen grow up a little in Italy.

“It was definitely good for our young guys to get their feet wet a little bit and get some jitters out,” he said. “Just being over there and being aggressive will really help us out going forward as we start the season."

Yes, the freshmen will be fun to monitor. But don’t forget about LeVert, Zak Irvin, Spike Albrecht and Derrick Walton, either. They’re the glue that binds the Wolverines.

They Stand on Guard

Michigan has one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten. With that said, it’ll only get better this season, as Walton, Levert, Albrecht and Irvin have each taken forward strides in development and, more importantly, leadership.

Teaching and meshing with freshmen Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Aubrey Dawkins will take time, but Walton, a 6’0”, 185-pound sophomore point guard, likes what he’s witnessed thus far.

"Muhammad plays north-south,” Walton said. “He doesn't waste a lot of movement and gets to the basket and from Point A to Point B quickly. Aubrey is a really good athlete who can really shoot. He can help us a lot on the defensive glass this year."

Those attributes are exactly what a coach who's known for piecing together combinations wants to see.

Being efficient is a plus that’ll carry Abdur-Rahkman as he develops the finer aspects of his game. As for Dawkins, well, he’s a relatively unheralded recruit who isn’t afraid to get dirty or put up shots. 

Add all of that to a star’s healthy return, and Beilein has a recipe for success—just add LeVert.

Coming off foot surgery, the 6’7”, 200-pound junior will also be a key factor. A year ago, he averaged 12.9 points per game and emerged as one of the Big Ten’s young stars. On Thursday, he said that he “got back to 100 percent about two weeks ago,” which bodes well for a backcourt that lost Stauskas, one of the purest scorers to ever set foot in Ann Arbor.

The possibility of a big guard tandem of Chatman and LeVert is interesting. Pairing Irvin with Walton is always a good idea, too.

If Beilein can get his freshmen involved early, that backcourt will morph into a true heavyweight threat.

Just Being Forward

In 2013-14, Mark Donnal was slapped with a beneficial redshirt. This year, the 6’9”, 240-pound forward should be more involved.

Should Ricky Doyle, a true frosh, get on the fast track, the Wolverines will have a young pair of nearly identically sized options with evolving skill sets—and one of them will likely clock major minutes this season.

"I need to watch both of them more, but at the end of the preseason here, when we get into November, one will probably have the upper hand on the other, but I can't make that call yet,” Beilein said. “We may get situational sometimes, but I wouldn't discount Mark's inside game or Ricky's outside game. The perception would be that one is one thing and the other is the other thing, but I think both have the ability to play the other's game and that's what we're working on, so they can be really versatile."

It’d appear that putting it all together on the court is the only thing left on the to-do list for Beilein, who mentioned that 6'9", 220-pound forward D.J. Wilson—another highly touted frosh—could see time at the 5, praised Albrecht and LeVert’s take-charge demeanor, and said the hungry Wolverines have yet again bought into his system.

But it doesn’t take a coach to see that.

"Everybody in that locker room believes a lot in themselves and in the guy right next to them,” said Walton. “Every guy on this team can make big plays, so us losing talent just gives other guys the opportunity to step up and show what they can do."

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines basketball writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.

Unless otherwise noted, quotes and references were obtained via press release from Michigan basketball sports information director Tom Wywrot. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

After getting to the NCAA championship in 2013 and reaching the Elite Eight last year, the Michigan basketball program will be facing some make-or-break factors this year in determining if it can have another successful season in 2014-15.

No doubt, the Wolverines return some prime talent (think Caris LeVert, Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr.), but they have also lost some serious manpower with the departures of Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary, Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford.

Michigan is bringing in a quality six-man recruiting class to offset the personnel loss, but its inexperience is still a bit of a question mark.

We have seen head coach John Beilein take teams not expected to do much before and coax them into winners. So this year should be no different. However, there are still obstacles he will have to deal with and the following factors could make or break the Wolverines in 2014-15.

How Will the Freshmen Play?

The play of the six-man recruiting class, plus the addition of redshirt freshman Mark Donnal, will significantly impact how the 2014-15 season will play out. How good they can complement the core of LeVert, Irvin, and Walton Jr. will go a long way in defining the success the Wolverines will have this year.

Donnal and prized recruit Kameron Chatman figure to be starters at the 5 and the 4 spots, respectively. After that, Beilein will have some promising freshmen to turn to in Ricky Doyle, D.J. Wilson, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Aubrey Dawkins and Austin Hatch off the bench.

Doyle and Wilson will provide some height down low, while Dawkins and Abdur-Rahkman will bring some versatility to the backcourt. And despite all his heroics after coming back from life-changing events, Hatch doesn't figure to be a part of the rotation this year.

Considering how much the freshmen will be a part of the makeup of this team, Beilein will have to do one of his better coaching jobs this year to put the Wolverines in contention for another Big Ten title and a deep tournament run.

Depth

This kind of goes hand in hand with the play of the freshmen, as they figure to receive the bulk of minutes off the bench.

As previously mentioned, Doyle, Wilson, Abdur-Rahkman and Dawkins figure to see a lot of time. However, don't forget that the Wolverines return Spike Albrecht and Max Bielfeldt.

Albrecht figures to be a staple off the bench for his instant offense and ability to dial it up from deep. Bielfeldt meanwhile, despite short on talent, does at least offer some size and experience along the front line.

Between the freshmen, plus Albrecht and Bielfeldt, these players will have to step up or else it will be up to LeVert, Irvin and Walton Jr. to carry the load. That's something Beilein could be dreading.

Sporting News's Michael Bradley (h/t Brendan Quinn of MLive.com) sums up the uncertainty surrounding the Michigan program this year:

"The rest of the league [beyond Wisconsin] is tougher to figure. Substantial losses at Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State will force players who were complements in previous seasons to emerge as standouts this year," Michael Bradley writes.

For Michigan, those former complements represent junior guard Caris LeVert, and sophomore guards Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr.

In U-M's team preview, the program is described as having "talent on campus, but its unproven nature makes it unlikely Michigan will be a threat throughout the year."

Rebounding

This is where the loss of Robinson III, McGary, Morgan and Horford will particularly sting.

Outside of the seldom-used Bielfeldt, there is zero experience along the front line. From the looks of how things went down in Italy, this is where Donnal and Doyle will help. They did a good job in Italy rebounding the ball, with Donnal averaging 6.5 rebounds and Doyle even better, as he averaged 8.0 rebounds on the trip.

Beilein doesn't need Donnal and Doyle to be stars initially, they just have to defend the post, grab some boards and occasionally contribute on offense. Donnal and Doyle will do the job if they average, say, a combined 13-16 rebounds a game.

Follow me on Twitter  @Stacdemon

Heading into the 2014-15 season, junior wing Caris LeVert is the unquestioned leader of the Michigan basketball program, as he is the team's leading returning scorer (12.9) and rebounder (4.3). However, the road LeVert took to become the the Wolverines' go-to player hasn't been a predictable one.

LeVert has gone from an ordinary 3-star recruit into perhaps All-American material and an NBA draft hopeful.

So, let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit LeVert's high school scouting report.

When LeVert was heading into his senior year at Pickerington High School Central (Pickerington, Ohio) in 2012, not a lot of major programs were after him.

According to 247sports, Dayton and Ohio University (who he originally signed with) were the only other schools to offer him a spot. The site also listed him as a 3-star recruit.

Michigan head coach John Beilein would swoop in late after he decommitted from Ohio in the spring of 2012, and as they say, the rest is history.

When he came on board at Michigan, LeVert was initially buried on the depth chart, as he was behind Tim Hardaway Jr., Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III in the wing guard/forward pecking order of things. However, with each departure, he has moved up the ladder. And with all of those guys gone, LeVert has now become the “man” for the Wolverines.

Back when he was in high school, a lot of people labeled him as raw with above-average athleticism and a guy who could shoot well. Plus, one who in time could grow into a very good player.

Oddly enough, it was a Big Ten coach in Illinois' John Groce who first saw the potential in him, as he was the coach of Ohio University at the time LeVert committed there. As you know, Groce left Ohio for Illinois in 2012, and now he and the Fighting Illini have to go up against LeVert every year.

LeVert had a great final year at Pickerington, leading his team to the state title and blowing up in the process. Prior to his senior year in high school, LeVert had talent but was considered raw, and that could be a reason why mostly only mid-majors were after him initially.

Then the perfect storm happened for him, as he had a fantastic senior year while the coach (Groce) he signed up for at Ohio left to go to Illinois, leaving LeVert free to go to a big-time school.

At the time of his release from Ohio, Scout.com's Brian Snow said this about LeVert: "With LeVert getting out of his letter of intent and entering the open market, look for a player with his skill level and ability to score to get high-major interest."

Safe to say, the Wolverines got themselves a steal in LeVert and are happy the way things played out. LeVert is now set to contend for all-Big Ten honors while raising his NBA draft stock in the process.

For Michigan to do well this year, it will need a big season from LeVert, as the team lost big-time stars in Stauskas and Robinson III, Mitch McGary and others to the NBA.

It was a long, twisting road to get where he is, but the time is now for LeVert to shine.

Follow me on Twitter @Stacdemon