Michigan (-2) at Butler - 4:00pm Pacific

I was very high on Michigan in the latter half of last season and I am again high on them this year.  No one made bigger strides during the season than the Wolverines last year.  They started 0-6 and ended up competing for the Big 10 outright title despite major shortcomings in depth and experience.  Leading scorer LeVell Blanchard is the only departing player.  Four starters return, three of which were freshman last season including Big 10 newcomer of the year point guard Daniel Horton.  Horton did everything for the big blue last season finishing second in scoring and first in assists while playing heavy minutes.  An ankle injury slowed him in the first round of the Big 10 tournament or else this team would have made even more noise.  Fellow freshman G/F Lester Abram, F/C Graham Brown, and F/C Chris Hunter all played significant roles last season and all of that experience should pay off in their sophomore years.  Starting senior G/F Bernard Robinson (third in scoring, second in rebounding, second in assists last year) is also back.  Top freshman recruit 6-3 guard Dion Harris was Michigan's Mr. Basketball and has looked good in the first two games averaging 14.5ppg.  Junior power forward J.C. Mathis (played two years at Virginia) is ready to step in and provide quality frontcourt depth along with athletic lanky 6-9 freshman forward Brent Petway (reportedly an explosive dunker).  After last season that saw Michigan go for the most part six deep, head Tommy Amaker suddenly has plenty of depth and options.

 

Butler had a magical season beating both higher seeds Mississippi State and Louisville on their way to a sweet 16 birth.  However, four starters and the heart and soul of that team have departed.  Wing Mike Monserez, forward Duane Lightfoot, and guard Avery Sheets are the only three returnees who made meaningful contributions last season.  Butler is successful by playing sound fundamental basketball, making few mistakes, and playing great defense.  Last years team was loaded with experience and they ran the system to perfection.  With all of the new faces this year I expect them to have trouble against such a talent rich team like Michigan, especially so early in the season.  Butler beat a Division II Quincy team by 14 in their opener and were very lucky to win by 2, 56-54, at Northern Iowa last time out.  The final score was their only lead of the second half as they hit a 3-pointer to win at the buzzer following a missed front end of a one-and-one by Northern Iowa.  Butler closed the game on a 6-0 run with two 3-point shots. 

 

Michigan throttled their first two opponents Oakland by 26 and High Point by 35.  Oakland beat San Diego and Illinois-Chicago handily and only lost by 5 at Missouri recently so they are a halfway decent opponent.  The early season performances have fans saying this is their best team since the Fab Five days.  Michigan's defense has been particularly impressive.  They held Oakland to 34% shooting and High Point to 27%.  Abrams, Robinson, Horton, and freshman Harris are said to be exceptional defenders.  This is key here because traditional Michigan teams could easily struggle against a disciplined and deliberate Butler squad.  However, this Wolverines team is capable of coming out and playing disruptive defense.  Butler will have difficulty running their offensive sets against this type of athleticism.  Michigan is not taking this opponent lightly.  Post-game quotes were focused on how tough their next game would be.  Butler still has a big home court advantage here but I would much rather face them at Conseco Fieldhouse than the on campus Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Michigan went 7-3 ATS on opponents home floors last season despite four of their top six players being freshman.  They won outright at UCLA, at Purdue, and at Ohio State among others. 

 

Michigan's offseason was as productive as any.  Their postseason ban was lifted by the NCAA on September 25th (they are now eligible for the NCAA tournament this year) and there has been a buzz about this team ever since.  Additionally, Michigan went on a three game Canadian exhibition tour (went 3-0) in mid-October.  No team could have started the season in higher spirits or with more momentum.  Wolverines have too many weapons and will be ready.

 

Michigan  1 UNIT