The insane thing about this 20-1 MBBall team - 1 senior
January 30th, 2019 at 10:18 AM ^
I like your OP - but also am realistic that we might lose additional key pieces to the NBA.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:19 AM ^
Matthews will leave, and maybe a back up transfers, but I think everyone else returns.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
If Iggy gets hot down the stretch and into the tournament I see him entering the draft as well.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:22 AM ^
Iggy and Poole are the two I'm worried about.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
If either Iggy or Poole leaves, it means they blew up over the remaining 15 or so games, which I'd also be fine with. As of right now, although both are great components of this team, they both have major holes in their game in the eyes of the NBA.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
There was a point earlier in the season where both were on fire and I started wondering who would start at the off-guard position next season if/when both left for the NBA. But as the season has progressed you've seen Poole struggle to get his own shot and Iggy hasn't rounded out his game by setting up teammates. Neither possesses the insane athleticism that the NBA craves either. While it is possible one leaves, it is less likely now.
(FYI - having both back next year would be amazing; we could likely survive Iggy leaving by promoting Livers/Johns; not sure how we'd replace Poole's offense with some combination of Brooks, DDJ, Nunez, and the recruits)
January 30th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
..."in the eyes of the NBA"? How do you know? Who have you talked to?
I think both are a flight risk. It's not like DJ Wilson or Glenn Robinson III were polished basketball players when they left (Brazdeikis currently has better stats than both). They were elite athletes that showed flashes. That's all the NBA is looking for. They'll give these guys a contract and stuff 'em in the G-League and see if they hit paydirt.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
Neither Iggy nor Poole are elite athletes
January 30th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
Disagree. And neither of our opinions matter anyway.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:24 AM ^
Well I mean, elite is such a broad word isn't it? I suppose we could group these dudes with Bo Jackson and Lebron James.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
I agree with you on what the NBA is looking for. They drafted GR3 (second round) and DJ based on their athleticism. Do you think the NBA scouts look at Poole or Iggy and think the same thing? I think the earlier comment in this post is accurate - if either or both blow up down the stretch then they're gone, sort of like Wagner last year. But I think both are a coin flip right now.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:15 AM ^
Yes. Maybe. I'm not an NBA scout.
No, they're not thinking Jordan Poole is the next 6'9" stretch Forward like DJ Wilson - they're thinking he's a guard. They're not looking at Brazdeikis the same way they looked at 3&D GRIII. They're all different players.
If an NBA team sees Brazdeikis's range, physicality and fearlessness (and quality defense) as a base skill set that can project to the NBA, then they'll draft him. If they see Poole's shot, agility and ball handling as something that can explode in the NBA game, then they'll draft him. They don't need to prove it at Michigan. That's the whole point. Everybody here is acting like they do.
I have no idea what's going to happen. But there are so many people here talking definitively saying "they're not ready". That does not matter to the NBA. They don't have to be ready. If they show NBA ability and potential (and I think they both have otherwise we wouldn't be talking about it - notice we're not talking about Livers), the NBA will take them the second they see it and in most cases they'd be dumb not to go.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
DJ Wilson and GR3 were much more athletic than both Poole and Iggy. Poole and Iggy are awesome college players but neither are elite athletes. Stats don’t mean as much to the NBA as potential and athleticism. It’s why Cassius Winston could be the national player of the year and not get drafted
January 30th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
Name one time when Iggy began moving towards the basket and then passed the ball off. He puts his head down and never looks back up. I don't know why some on here think he's a flight risk. He doesn't look like 1st round talent. Iggy and Poole do not possess the elite athleticism of DJ Wilson or GRIII
January 30th, 2019 at 1:48 PM ^
Agreed...neither are playing like they're going to be high on anybody's draft board. Still too inconsistent and with too many areas of their game that need shoring up. Next year, very possible that they will both leave early, but right now, neither is at the level of Stauskas or THJ in their final years.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
Poole has ZERO business going pro after this year. Doesn't mean he won't, but he absoultely shouldn't. Iggy is a tougher call
January 30th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
I love Charles Matthews - but he will need to bring his game to another level and more consistently to be drafted in the NBA. He disappears for too many long stints in games.
I know we can count on him when we need him, and his D is unreal - but you can't go into cold spells for those huge stretches and expect to be drafted among the top prospects.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
Not only that, but he has a poor handle. I dont recall the last time I've seen a player with so much raw athletic talent who gets the ball poked away, loses it on a layup/dunk, etc. Maybe freshman levert was close. I hold my breath every time Matthew's dribbles into traffic because it's either going to be a bucket or a turnover.
January 30th, 2019 at 1:28 PM ^
Can say all the same things about Bruce Bowen. NBA absolutely woould take a shut down wing defender who can take pressure off the Superstar's defense. All he has to do is hit corner 3's at 30%.
January 30th, 2019 at 6:20 PM ^
I'd take freshmen Levert's handle over Matthews any day of the week. Matthews probably is what he is offensively at this point. I wish he'd just work on his off ball movement. He gets caught in between way too often and like Iggy has trouble passing to the open guys his drive creates. His shooting is meh, too.
January 30th, 2019 at 2:07 PM ^
Matthews seems like a good kid. But why does it seem like a toddler could strip him when he goes up in the lane?? Hands like feet.
January 30th, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
Guess so. Cause if his feet were like hands he'd be playing Futbol.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
Um the "insane" thing in today's era of college basketball is to have ANY seniors on your team that actually play if you're 20-1.
And you're crazy if you think we're only going to lose one player off the team. Mathews & Poole are almost for sure gone as well.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
Jordan Poole may put his name in the draft for feed back, but I can guarantee he will be back at Michigan next year.
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January 30th, 2019 at 11:01 AM ^
someone is not in a position to make guarantees
January 30th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
I agree that the blue bloods (Duke, KY, Kansas, etc.) typically don't have an abundance of seniors that play key roles, but for the rest of college basketball that isn't all that true. Even teams like MSU, Gonzaga, Villanova, Xavier, Tennessee, that seem to make a run every 3 or 4 years are typically senior heavy. I feel like Michigan is in that 2nd tier group looking to be more consistent, even though we will never be the 1 and done school due to "extra stuff" Beilein isn't willing to dabble with.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
Well FWIW i just went and checked all the schools you listed to see how many seniors are in their respective starting line-ups.
MSU - 2
Gonzaga - 1
Villanova - 1
Xavier - 1
Tennessee - 1
So think we're both a little wrong on this one. I'm incorrect in stating having any is unusual and I think you're overstating the element of them being "senior heavy". Or at least this year they're not.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:24 AM ^
MGrow: you dispassionately assessed the empirical evidence and not only concluded that this evidence revealed a more nuanced reality than either you or your opponent initially believed, but also admitted that you were incorrect in one aspect of your argument.
You know you're on the internet, right?
January 30th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
El Jeffe- too funny.
January 30th, 2019 at 12:28 PM ^
You misspelled jefe...
January 30th, 2019 at 1:47 PM ^
If I have time I’ll look it up later... but I wonder what the rosters of the final four teams look like from the past years.
Good info though mGrowOld.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
I get the sentiment but that's a wildly overstated idea. There's still plenty of age and experience among good teams in college basketball.
Nevada has something like 7 dudes 22 or older. Tennessee's 6 leading scorers are all juniors or seniors. Nova and UVA always have some olds. Even Kentucky starts a 23 year old.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:43 AM ^
Earlier this year Nevada was starting five 5th-year seniors that all started their careers at other schools.
January 30th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
Matthews should be the only one, unless Iggy blows up in the remaining game. I will be absolutely shocked if Poole gets drafted. He has sooo much to work on. I don't know how anyone can have the opinion that 'Poole is almost for sure gone' - to me, that is crazy. No way.
January 30th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/2019-nba-mock-draft.html
1. Poole isn't going anywhere.
2.) Iggy is a longshot but can only help his stock by staying.
3.) Matthews may leave but I could see him not getting drafted.
January 30th, 2019 at 1:35 PM ^
I get the skepticism, but draft stocks are skyrocketed in March. Ask DJ Wilson, ask Donte DiVincenzo. Way too early to assume anybody is a lock to stay or leave
January 30th, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^
so you’re telling me I get to watch z own little bitch ass point guards guards and iggy piss off everyone in America all again next year??? Love it.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
NBA drafts on potential, not on college accomplishments or polish. All it takes is a run of hot games down the stretch for the NBA to take notice and start projecting. If this team is as good as we think it is, they'll be playing and winning big games in March. The guys that shine will get more attention than we want them to. I think it's still too early to know who may or may not be here next year.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
Who again is the senior? I just ran searches on the eligibility of Simpson, Poole, Matthews, Teske, and Livers and they all seem to have at least one more. CM is technically a redshirt junior (academic senior) and likely a flight risk, but unless his mind is already committed to NBA/Europe or he has an agreement with Beilein to help fit in the next class, he could stay. It's not an impossibility.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
Everyone could return next year. And they should
January 30th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
Well, Beilein has clearly had the conversation with someone about leaving next year, as he has signed two player a to letters of intent with only one open scholarship. As Matthews tested the NBA waters last spring and regularly shows up in mock drafts, it’s a pretty safe guess he’s going pro barring some unforeseen, and probably rather negative, circumstances.
And he should. He’s an NBA-caliber defender who can shoot well enough off the catch and can slash to the rim. Creating his own shot and shots for others is probably not his role as a pro, but there’s definitely room for him to carve out a solid career at the next level.
January 30th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^
We could see attrition too.
Johns will be taking Davis' minutes. May be wise for Austin to look around.
Brooks may or may not be content.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:31 AM ^
Who cares who leaves, Beilein will just reload again next year with a bunch of under the radar recruits. Go blue!!
January 30th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
Don’t underestimate the value of Chuck’s lockdown D. I think he has one more year of eligibility?
It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the NBA with his length, strength and athleticism. It seems like similar players have grown their game in the NBA.
I don’t think Poole or Iggy are ready. It seems like they should return at this stage. However getting hot in the bright lights of an ncaa tourney run can change everything.
January 30th, 2019 at 12:48 PM ^
Charles does have another year of eligibility left. Kentucky, transfer, and 2 years on the court at Michigan.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
This means nothing in today's basketball. The better teams usually don't have a lot of seniors, and we could still lose people. It's based on potential. They keep talking about Romeo Langford being a top 5 pick, and I definitely don't see that, but again, it's based on potential.
January 30th, 2019 at 11:37 AM ^
You've completely missed the point of this thread.
The OP is saying we have a team that's 20-1 and we could return damn near everyone next year.
Your comment is if we have a borderline tournament team and we're excited because we get everyone back and that means we'll be better and more experienced than the rest of the country.
The point is...if they're good this year, and Beilein continues to make players better...they should be good (or even better next year). That's all.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:53 AM ^
To me, the even crazier thing is that we're sitting here at the end of January with about 10 games to go in the regular season and we're looking at a team that has a 20-1 record. This is not easy at all, but there are moments where this team has made us think it is indeed rather easy. I am just hoping for a fun March as well between the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
January 30th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
Other coaches recruit players. JB recruits entire teams. He is a master at it.