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Three ways for Michigan men’s basketball to regain momentum

Some big-time changes might be needed for Michigan men’s basketball to get back on track.

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Michigan head coach Juwan Howard talks to center Hunter Dickinson (1) during the first half against Buffalo at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.

For whatever reason, Michigan men’s basketball hasn’t been able to find consistency so far this season. They’ll go from winning a game by 35 points one week to scoring just 53 points the next. If Michigan wants to find some consistency, they’ll need to find a winning strategy of some sort and find it soon.

Here are three potential changes the Wolverines could make that might improve their chances of winning going forward.

Space out Jace Howard and Terrance Williams II’s minutes

I love watching both these men play for Michigan men’s basketball, and this is not meant as a dig at either of them.

Both Jace Howard and Terrance Williams II play basketball with a passion that this Michigan men’s basketball team needs in a significant way. In a sense, they represent everything college basketball is supposed to mean. It’s all about the love of the game.

Still, with all that said, coach Juwan Howard should never have these two playing simultaneously on the court. They both serve as valuable pieces of the team, and both are captains, but they also do the same function in terms of how they play on the court.

Both could be better on offense. To say so isn’t a breaking story, and most Michigan basketball fans are well aware of it at this point. On the year, Williams II and Howard are averaging 7.3 and 1.4 points per game respectively.

What they do bring to the team, however, is defense and rebounding. Not to mention, they both play a key leadership role on the team, one of the many reasons each was chosen as captain for this season.

Having as many stud defenders on the court as possible will always be a good idea. Still, if it creates a situation where you cannot score on offense, it might be time to make some changes.

While it isn’t the sole reason for Michigan’s inability to score their last outing versus Michigan State, it might be time for the Wolverines to look to make a change regarding who they have out on the court together.

Get Will Tschetter on the court

In a way, this one goes hand-in-hand with my last point. The more time Tschetter sees on the court, the less likely it is that Howard and Williams II will be on the court together.

It also helps, considering Tschetter is a much more offensive-oriented player. On the year, he averages around 6.5 minutes per game, and in those sparing minutes, he has found a way to average 2.1 points per game. He’s making his shots around 41.2 percent of the time and is more than capable of hitting the occasional 3-pointer.

In a typical year, Tschetter would have been an excellent piece to have coming off the bench during blowouts, and he’d be in the running to have a breakout junior season the year following. Unfortunately for Michigan, this is no longer a typical year.

The Wolverines are struggling, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that depth is the number one priority, considering how little there is.

Michigan men’s basketball needs to improve its depth issue and create more spacing on the offensive side of the ball. Getting Will Tschetter on the court could be a brilliant way of making that happen.

Find a way to get Joey Baker in the starting lineup

Historically, Michigan men’s basketball is at its best when they have an elite 3-point shooting specialist in the starting lineup.

During the 2020-21 season, Michigan had a slew of elite 3-point shooters, but none were better than senior star Isaiah Livers, who shot a whopping 43.1 percent from beyond the arc. What made that even more impressive was he shot around 5.0 3-pointers per game, 1.4 more than anyone else on the team. That year, the Wolverines would go on to compete in the NCAA Final Four.

Going back to the last time Michigan made it to the National Championship, during the 2017-18 season, players like Duncan Robinson and Mo Wagner had themselves breakout years beyond the arc. Robinson shot the ball behind the 3-point line 5 times per game and made around 38.4 percent, while Mo Wagner shot it 4.1 times, making 39.4 percent of his shots.

Now, you might be asking, who is that player for Michigan men’s basketball in 2023? Look no further than former Duke Blue Devil Joey Baker. Baker is shooting an incredible 44.7 percent on the year.

The only problem with this is he’s not on the court nearly enough and, in turn, can’t shoot the ball anywhere near the rate he could. On the year, Baker is averaging 14.5 minutes per game and only hitting 2.5 3-pointers per game. With an increase in minutes, I could easily see an up-tic in the Wolverines’ offense, and he would do wonders for spreading the court, allowing more space for Hunter Dickinson to do his thing down low.

Michigan and coach Howard want to win basketball games. The coaching staff is constantly thinking of new ways to help the team succeed, but if the Wolverines want to compete in the postseason this year, some significant changes will be needed.

Michigan men’s basketball returns to action this Thursday, January 12, at 7:00 p.m. EST versus the Iowa Hawkeyes.

 

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BREAKING: Juwan Howard has surgery, Martelli to assume interim coach role

BREAKING: Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard has successful surgery. Phil Martelli to take over as interim head coach.

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Juwan Howard, Michigan basketball, Phil Martelli
Mar 5, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Today, news broke that Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard, who is entering his fourth season at the helm in Ann Arbor, had open heart surgery over the offseason. With Howard recovering, long-time assistant Phil Martelli is slated to be the Wolverines’ interim head coach to open the 2023-24 season, which is fast approaching.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has heart surgery, Phil Martelli to serve as interim coach

The 2023-24 Michigan basketball season will look a little different later this year, as Phil Martelli will be stepping in as interim head coach. Today, it was confirmed that Juwan Howard — the team’s full-time head coach — is recovering from heart surgery right now.

“I feel so grateful and blessed that this surgery was performed at University of Michigan Health,” said Howard in a statement. “My wife, Jenine, and our family appreciate the world-class care that has been provided to us. Dr. (Kim) Eagle, Dr. (Himanshu) Patel, Dr. (Stanley) Chetcuti, and all of the staff at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center are so talented and performed like champions throughout this process. I am going to work very hard in my rehabilitation to be stronger than ever by the time our upcoming season is upon us.”

Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel added the following:

“We are extremely grateful Juwan’s proactive procedure was a success and that he is resting comfortably,” said Warde Manuel. “We will continue to support Juwan, Jenine and his family as well as the program throughout his absence. All of us at the athletic department have Juwan in our thoughts and prayers. We look forward to Juwan’s return when he feels that he has fully recovered.”

It is expected that Juwan Howard will return to the court as head coach for Michigan basketball later in the season.



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Elite Michigan basketball target will be in Ann Arbor tomorrow

Tomorrow, an elite Michigan basketball target (2024 recruiting class) will be in Ann Arbor for his first-ever visit with the Wolverines.

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Michigan basketball, recruiting, No. 1 recruit in Virginia, Juwan Howard
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Juwan Howard and his Wolverines will be hosting Patrick Ngongba, an elite Michigan basketball target in the 2024 recruiting class, shortly. Ngongba, the No. 1 recruit in Virginia, has the Maize and Blue among his finalists and will be making the trip to Ann Arbor tomorrow (September 8th).

Elite Michigan basketball target about to be in Ann Arbor

While the 2023 Michigan Wolverines football season is now in full swing and has the attention of the entire fanbase, it’s worth noting that Juwan Howard and the Maize and Blue are hot on the recruiting trail in the 2024 recruiting class and beyond. After a tough 2022-23 season, Howard needs some good news to right the ship in Ann Arbor — tomorrow, he will have a massive opportunity to get one step closer to landing an elite recruit.

Patrick Ngongba is the No. 1 recruit in Virginia (for the 2024 recruiting class) and is an elite Michigan basketball target. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound center is an ESPN five-star prospect and is ranked among the top 30 players in the country in the composite rankings. So far, Juwan Howard has landed two prospects in the 2024 cycle, neither of which is rated anywhere close to Patrick Ngongba in the composite standings.

Can Juwan Howard land Patrick Ngongba in the 2024 recruiting class?

For the time being, Michigan basketball appears to be on the outside looking in ahead of Patrick Ngongba’s visit tomorrow — Duke and Kansas State currently have the best odds of landing him, per the Recruiting Prediction Machine. That said, Juwan Howard is a solid recruiter, and a visit to Ann Arbor, MI, ahead of a football game weekend could be a difference-maker for the Wolverines down the stretch.

According to the On3 visit tracker, tomorrow will be the first time that Michigan basketball gets the No. 1 recruit in Virginia on campus. This further showcases how important the visit will be for the Wolverines if Juwan Howard expects to have a shot against some of the other major programs vying for his commitment.

***If you missed it, Tom Brady is searching for the biggest Michigan fan! We have a great series going right now as a part of our Fan Flex challenge series — below is the link to our latest challenge! Among this week’s prizes includes an invite to the Blue by Ninety tailgate and a Blue by Ninety beer (for those of age) See the link below for more!

LINK: https://autograph.outgrow.us/blueby90-3



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan basketball recruiting will host No. 1 point guard in September

Michigan basketball recruiting will host the No. 1 point guard of the 2025 class for an official visit.

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Michigan basketball recruiting No. 1 point guard
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan basketball is coming off of its most disappointing season of the Juwan Howard era. After missing the national tournament for the first time since taking over as head coach, Howard is already looking ahead to the future to right the ship for the Wolverines. Recently, Joe Tipton of On3 Sports announced that Darius Acuff — currently the No. 1 point guard of the 2025 recruiting class — will visit Ann Arbor in early September.

Michigan basketball recruiting will host official visit for No. 1 point guard Darius Acuff

Michigan basketball has a huge opportunity to lock down an elite prospect this September. Acuff’s official Ann Arbor visit will reportedly last from September 1-3.

Acuff is among the nation’s best and currently holds the No. 1 On3 industry ranking among point guards in the 2025 class. Across all positions, the six-foot point guard is the No. 9 industry-ranked player in the country.

Acuff is originally from Detroit, MI and played basketball at Cass Tech before recently transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. Michigan basketball currently holds the lead on Acuff’s recruitment on On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 45.4 percent chance. Also in contention for Acuff’s recruitment are Kentucky, Michigan State, and Ohio State.

While Michigan basketball lost lots of talent this offseason, the recruiting game has been heating up as well. Landing a top-tier talent like Acuff could be just what the Wolverines need to build their recruiting momentum.



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and InstagramYou can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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