Looking ahead: Michigan loses key pieces but still stands tall

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It’s never too early to look at what’s to come. Over the next few weeks, we will give you a peek at what is ahead for teams in the Power 5 conferences and some other teams expected to be players on the national scene. Next up: Michigan.

The events that unfolded after Michigan’s 2015-16 campaign prompted contrasting reactions.

To some, the Wolverines had unraveled. Caris LeVert (16.5 points per game), who missed most of the season due to injuries, entered the NBA draft. Ricky Doyle (3.8 PPG), Aubrey Dawkins (6.5 PPG), Spike Albrecht (1.9 PPG) and Kam Chatman (2.8 PPG) all transferred. LaVall Jordan and Bacari Alexander, elite assistants who helped John Beilein create and guide his best Michigan teams, accepted head coaching jobs at UW-Milwaukee and Detroit, respectively.

That’s an ominous list. But it’s only the sidebar to a promising offseason that could lead to contention for the Big Ten title.

Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin are two members of the experienced nucleus that returns from last season’s Michigan squad. Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

Beilein put together the most underrated coaching effort of his tenure in 2015-16. His star, LeVert, played just 15 games, and his defense failed to crack the top 100 of KenPom.com’s adjusted efficiency rankings. And the Wolverines still secured a slot in the NCAA tournament.

That postseason run should help the Michigan team we’ll see next season — a group of athletes who represent stability in a league in flux.

Michigan State lost Denzel Valentine. Yogi Ferrell is gone. Nigel Hayes could leave Wisconsin. No more Jarrod Uthoff in Iowa or A.J. Hammons at Purdue. Maryland lost elite talent from its fleet, too. Multiple Big Ten squads will search for new …

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