Andy Katts ranks the top 36 CBB teams for 2019
Putting a link in the OP is the same as in a reply.
Being underrated is a very good place to be; especially with a new regime.
That's been the motto of Michigan athletics for YEARS
To be fair, that's the motto of 299 of 300 teams every year. And MSU will somehow perceive itself under-rated and disrespected even a the #1 team.
*disrespekted
We did lose 3 starters and our coach. So understandable imo.
Agreed ..and to the posters point above this, I would rather be underrated to start this new tenure.
And our best recruit. So yes, not being on that list is perfectly understandable.
It could be a tough season. There just isn't enough pure shooting or scoring on the team to reliably predict that they'd be top 25 or so.
I don't think leaving us out of any preseason ranking is unfair. We lost a ton and have a completely unproven coach. Don't really understand the mindset that we should be "top 20 ez." I fear that it will be a struggle to reach the tourney, but we could definitely shine and outperform expectations like we did this last season.
Struggling to make the tourney should not happen with a core of Simpson, Teske, and Livers.
Yeah well when those 3 are clocking 30+ minutes a game into February are you gonna hop off the couch to give them rest?
Michigan needs bodies. Badly.
Our starters were all playing 30+ minutes last year...
And the team got way better as the season wore on. Oh wait... they looked like killers early on and then "not killers" in the latter third.
Just because we started the season 17-0 doesn’t mean we weren’t still extremely good the second half of the season. Teams that fade for an entire half of a season don’t usually have a chance at a 1 seed going into the league tournaments. I swear, not matching up well with MSU has tainted this entire fan base’s memory of the second half of last year. In the second half of the season, we still went 11-6 and swept a ranked Maryland team. Outside of MSU, we literally won al our games other than road losses to Wisconsin, Iowa, and PSU. That is really fucking good
that all depends on
- if we can learn to feed the post when switched
- if Livers can maintain his shooting at higher usage
- if DDJ or ...Brooks?.... can shoot as well and create their own shot
- If amongst Nunez, Bajema, and Johns we can find meaningful minutes and scoring to put up points from the outside and play defense.
its possible, but those three guys wont be enough.
Don't forget Castleton - I think he'll play a bigger role then Bajema and likely Nunez. Either way I think we keep trying to put these pieces into how they'd fit into JB's system without knowing how they fit into JH's system. We could go big or small and while I have no idea what JH will run I'm already prepping to be more tolerant of turnovers and fouls. Squads just don't run as efficient as what JB put on the court and thinking that'll continue at a high rate is a tough ask for a new coach. We'll need more out of Livers and I think he can fill that void but also Teske, Johns, DDJ and Castleton as well. Try to pick who the top 3 scorers will be at the end of next year - Livers, Teske, ????. X will be the 4th in my opinion but even if he's 3 who is 4?
If if was a fifth...
I don't think I would put us in the top 36 right now. We are going be running a totally different system and we lost 3 starters. I think we will still be good on defense but am not sure where the scoring comes from. I would be very glad to be wrong though.
I don't think having us out of the top 36 is unreasonable. There's a lot of uncertainty there. We only have 3 players that have done anything at all on the college level. The rising sophmores are complete question marks. With no Jalen Wilson or Franz we have no freshman that are obvious early impact players. Our current starting SG has been unfathomably bad on offense so far in is career. And we just lost a HoF coach. X, Livers, and Teske is a solid core but Teske and Livers have been low usage players so far in their career.
I think we'll make the tournament, but I can't really say that with much confidence as it stands now. You just kinda have to believe in Zavier's leadership.
I don't see anything wrong with leaving us outside the 'top 36' - that's a 9-11 seed P5 team and that's not an unreasonable take for a team that lost 3 starters and one of the best X's and O's coaches in the game...and their 'defensive coordinator' now
Wild how fast that changed. With Iggy and Poole back plus Beilein, people were projecting us preseason top 5 and now...here we are
see someone started drinking early
You spelled Katz two different ways and both of them were wrong.
the Michigan Difference ha ha
Pretty sure that's the joke. Half a point for subtlety, I guess...
But what does Andy Capp think?
Seth Davis at The Athletic has Michigan 26th.
I think this is a tourney team but too much is unknown for me to get annoyed at being left out of any of these.
Perfect. Much rather be stealth going into the season. MSU at #1 has all the heat. We have none. Zero. Should be some fun games next season.
Katts, Kats no Katz!
I, for one, really enjoy Andy Cats...
I think having us out of the top 25 is reasonable. Having us out of the top 36 is clickbait.
MSU at #1 feels like what happens every couple of years for MSU and usually ends with them getting bounced early as the reality of losing a couple of 5th-year senior starters who matured into competent performers sets in.
Michigan isn't a top-25 team right now; I'm not sure they'd have been even with Beilein just because of the unknowns. But it's hard to think that a team with two of the best defenders at their positions in the country couldn't crack the top half of P5 teams.
Wild Katts
Is Andy one of these guys?
We have the ability to be a truly terrible offensive basketball team next year. Being outside the top 25 makes sense
X can’t shoot. Where is the scoring coming from? Losing Wilson to Kansas really hurt.
Ty - I don't think that he committed to Kansas yet. Your comment is a bit premature.
The Officially Official thread was about Yak.
What did I do?
you gone!
Every preseason its the same damn thing with those so called experts and our hoops team...
The team was always going to take a step back given the departures. That was going to be true even if Coach Beilein stayed and Wilson, Wagner, and Bajema (who I realize affirmed his commitment) all showed up in AA. But it's premature to rank the team right now. The roster may not be settled.
A lot of pessimism in this thread, but I personally think Michigan is at least a top 5 team in the Big Ten, which is good enough for top 25 nationally.
I expect David DeJulius to be one of the most improved players in the Big Ten and his teammate Brandon Johns will battle him for that distinction. Both are going to see a huge increase in minutes and will have the opportunity to settle into a role where their talent will begin to shine. They may have some growing pains early but this fan base will be excited about both players by February/March.
X
DD
Livers
Johns
Teske
Brooks, Bajema, Castleton
That's your rotation. JB would never start that lineup, but Howard may. They don't really have a 3 (unless Bajema is more ready than I anticipate), so might as well go big. That lineup will be absolutely devastating on defense with length to alter shots all over the court.
Offense will be ugly and prone to droughts, but that is true for most teams in college basketball. They'll win a lot of games holding their opponents in the 50s and 60s. Their kenpom profile will probably look something like Wisconsin's did this past season - a top 5 defense and middling offense in 50-75 range.
If you think Michigan isn't going to be one of the top 36 teams in college basketball you haven't been watching Zavier Simpson the last two seasons. Leaders like him don't wilt heading into their senior year, they blossom. The team will take on his personality and win games with tenacious defense while they wait for DeJulius to become their late clock assassin.
Keep in mind, we were 5th in '17 and '18.
I just think it's important to have perspective about what 5th place sometimes entails
Shock the World
Dick vitale on twitter stating Michigan has hired Martelli and Eisley and congratulating Howard on hiring an A plus staff . Mobile won’t let me make a post still
We lost our all time greatest head coach, three starters (including the B1G ROTY), and have no five stars coming in to replace them. Makes absolute perfect sense that we’re unranked.
Don’t mean shit where you start the season. We started the 2017-18 season unranked. We finished #2. Several of those guys (Livers, Simpson, Teske) are still on this year’s team.
We’ll be fine. I don’t expect a Big Ten title, a Final Four or a national title. But Juwan sure as hell ain’t walking into a bare cupboard.
It DOESNT make sense that he didn't rank us
Returning your senior PG, who was the leader of your team, and your Senior center is fucking huge especially when it comes tourney time. I believe Livers ended the season as our leading 3pt% shooter. And these guys have a TON of deep run tourney experience
We wont be contenders but were sure as hell a back end Top 25 team
Sports media always sleeps on Mich basketball. This isn't anything new
I guess its better to outperform expectations rather than be expected to win it all and choke like MSU does every other year now