Gonzaga looks like the team to be defeated this year, Baylor close second and third hottest in college basketball is … Michigan?

it’s the truth.

Wolverine is now 11-0 after Destruction No. 9 Wisconsin Tuesday night 77-54. Wisconsin was an upcoming fierce opponent, having lost only two games before. They beat Michigan’s No. 12 state on Christmas Day by double numbers and won two consecutive numbers in the top 10 games for Michigan No. 7. But it was never closed on Tuesday. The Wolverines led by forty points on one point and ran 43-6 in the first and second half. Four players finished with two numbers, which is For the first time in college basketball history, a team beat three successive competitors by at least 19 points.

“They have been locked in to make everything difficult for their opponent and that is not easy,” Michigan coach Joan Howard said after the game. “It’s a buy to dig into in practice, watch it in a movie, and start acting when you feel uncomfortable.”

In two short seasons, Howard was able to make the Michigan show his own.

Before taking over as coach of his university, Howard was one of the most loved coaches in the NBA and was building a good career as an assistant to the Miami Heat. When Howard took over in Michigan, former manager John Beilin had just taken over the position of head NBA head coach in Cleveland after 12 seasons in Ann Arbor.

There have been former NBA players who have taken over college programs in the past but no one has succeeded like Joan Howard so quickly. Avery Johnson was the head coach in Alabama for four years with little success. Penny Hardaway has had some recruitment victories in Memphis with James Wiseman And the Precious Achioa But he has He only had a ranked team once in three seasons.

Michigan made an early statement in the 2019-20 season, starting with 7-0 Defeat Gonzaga to win the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship. Howard was able to do so with a team he had inherited from Pelin, full of players he hadn’t recruited. The Big Ten was the toughest conference in college basketball last season and the Wolverines still managed to finish at 19-12. Howard wasted no off-season time and brought some top-tier high school talent, including four-star recruits. Hunter DickinsonAnd the Zip JacksonAnd the Terence Williams As well as son Howard, Jess.

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The Wolverines lost only two seniors and returned major players such as Isaiah Livers, sophomore Franz Wagner and graduate students Austin Davis and Mike Smith. Michigan ranked No. 25 ahead of the season and it took five weeks and set a record 6-0 for Howard’s team to begin climbing into the rankings steadily.

“Everyone is in. Everyone was convinced of the culture in a couple of short years and I still think there’s another step for us,” Said Isaiah Livers after the Wisconsin victory. “It’s similar to my year in the second year, where I started 17-0, but I think this team is much deeper.”

This is a Michigan team that lives and dies with their defense.

“To play on Coach Howard’s team, you have to play the defense,” Livers said. “We just said,” Why don’t we try to disrupt every team from managing their attack? ” This has led to a culture of sabotage, blocking shots, theft in the gap, talking, and flying only. We want to play like six in defense. “

Michigan had nine blocks against Wisconsin and had plenty of depth and height on the front court with Student 7-foot-1 Dickinson and 6-foot-9, 6-foot Wagner sophomore Brandon Jones Jr.

Wagner, the younger brother of former Michigan player and current Washington Wizards striker Mo Wagner, is the most improved player on the Wolverines and was the best player on the field Tuesday night. Wagner came in his first year weighing just 205 pounds and worked with his brother in the capital during the extended quarantine period and is now playing at 226 pounds.

“He trained his ass all spring,” Michigan strength and conditioning trainer John Sanderson Tell Brendan Quinn from Athletic. “I mean, he pushed it. It wasn’t perfect. He didn’t have a real weight room, but he made the most of that three-month period and then came back on campus determined to be physically different.”

Wagner scored double digits in his last five matches and finished in double digits on Tuesday night including 15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and one block. Due to the extra weight, he isn’t pushed into the lane anymore as he finds various ways to score.

In Michigan there are no single five-star recruits left on the team. Every player on the list early bought what Howard wanted Michigan basketball to look like. Other elite players in high school want to be a part of it and learn from a coach like Howard and this has helped immensely in the career path. Michigan has the # 1 Conscription Category coming to the next seasonLed by a five-star wing Caleb Hostan.

“We have worked hard to identify the outstanding players and pieces that will help our program,” Howard said. “We want to make sure that we have competent young people, from good families who can come and represent Block ‘M’ and this university with dignity and grace.”

It took six seasons in Texas to Shaka Smart to finally gain some ground And what Howard did in two years in Michigan is nothing short of remarkable. There are a lot of moving elements college-wide from recruitment to game setup, hiring the right coaching staff and building a winning culture that everyone can buy. The Gonzaga might be getting all the hype as the first team this season, but Michigan lurks in the shadows and has all the tools to be there as one of the The final four teams are in Indianapolis.

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