What's wrong with Michigan Basketball?

Tuesday night in Columbus figured to be a raucous environment. Ohio State, coming off a close loss to Indiana last weekend, and in desperate need of a victory, would be ready to roll. Michigan, on the other hand, was in the midst of a two game win streak over the last-place teams in the Big Ten, Penn State and Minnesota. Many were hoping Michigan had turned the proverbial "corner," but as we saw in OSU's drubbing of the Wolverines last night, that's not the case. Here are a few reasons why Michigan continues to struggle:

                                       Michigan Freshman Center Ricky Doyle

1) Michigan is once again one of the youngest teams in the nation. The starting rotation consists of three underclassmen, with four more playing meaningful minutes off the bench. John Beilein has a history (especially at Michigan) of winning with players that are lightly or under-recruited coming out of high school (Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, Trey Burke, Jordan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas come to mind). However, the new freshman class of six has developed at a slower pace than previous classes. Forward Kam Chatman, a consensus top-30 national prospect out of high school, has struggled to adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game. Aubrey Dawkins, while providing key shooting off the bench, is a one-dimensial player, and teams will start to adjust to his offensive tendencies (outside shooting, and more outside shooting). Ricky Doyle has been a bright spot, becoming Michigan's most effective big man. Despite his success, he still lacks rebounding toughness and an ability to finish around the hoop against contact. In time, these three can be key contributors, as well as the other three freshman, but patience is key.

2) Losing five starters early to the NBA draft has drastically set Michigan back. Back-to-back Big Ten players of the year, Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas, left for the NBA draft as sophomores, as did Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III. Tim Hardaway also bolted following the 2013 Final Four with a year of eligibility remaining. NCAA tournament success that Michigan fans have been blessed with the last two years has suddenly become the bar for success for this program, and realistically (unless you're Kentucky or Duke) cannot be repeated when you lose such integral parts of the program early to the NBA.

3) Despite solid freshman seasons, Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. have failed to take the necessary leaps forward to be able to carry this team through its youth struggles. Irvin, while being a key scorer for this Michigan team, has shown to be one of the streakiest shooters Michigan has had in recent memory. When shots aren't falling, we also see defensive lapses and careless turnovers, which led to a benching in the second half by Beilein in last night's game. Walton Jr. has dealt with a recurring toe injury, and looks to be a shell of the player we saw in high school and throughout last year. He had a fantastic game on Saturday against Minnesota, but was almost invisible last night. When healthy, I think he has the potential to be the Big Ten's best point guard, but he needs to get healthy and gain confidence back in his shot and finishing ability around the hoop.

4) Last but not least, Caris LeVert. Projected by many, including ESPN, as a preseason first team All-American, LeVert has not lived up to the hype. A summer injury to his foot forced him to miss eight weeks of crucial development time this summer, and it certainly is showing on the court. Streaky shooting, questionable decision making (turnovers!), and at times, horrendous defense have characterized his junior season. The most troubling of those three is the lack of intensity and focus he shows at times on the defensive end, which could be an issue of effort. At a lanky 6'6", he is the primary defender Michigan uses to defend the opposition's best wing or 2 guard. He has the talent and quickness, but the focus needs to be there 100% of the time for Michigan to at least be a decent defensive team.

These issues have so far led Michigan to a mediocre 10-7 record, and at this point, a berth to the NCAA tournament looks unlikely. Patience will be key with this team, and they will win their fair share of games, but as we saw last night, we can't expect consistency on a nightly basis from such a young group.