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Michigan really took a long time to get accustomed to Belein's system with the 1-3-1 defense and the offense system, but down the stretch they put together a 3 game win stretch and showed some things that might be to come in the future. They only lose 1 of the top 10, and have a great one two punch coming back in sophomore Manny Harris (6'5'' SG) 16pts,4reb, 3assts per game. He was second team all big ten, to go along with junior DeShawn Sims (6'8'' PF) in the paint who averaged 12pts. They also return first team all defensive team junior Epke Udoh (6'10'' PF) who led the league in blocks with just under 3 per game and also had 6pts 5 rebounds. sophomore Kelvin Grady (5'11'' PG) will try to lead the team at the point 6pts and 3 asst per game. He was up and down on the season, but should be more steady next season. They also return sophomore Anthony Wright (6'6'' SF) 5pts/game, junior Zach Gibson (6'10'' PF) 5 pts/game, senior CJ Lee (6'0'' G) 3pts/game, and senior Jevohn Shepard (6'5'' SG) 4 pts/game and have 3 incoming frosh in Ben Cronin (7' C), a big guy that can step outside and shoot, Stu Douglass(6'2'' SG) who can light it up from deep, and Zach Novak (6'5'' SF). Overall Michigan should be much better from deep where they struggled this season, and if they can play good defense with the big guys and find a third scorer could do some damage in the big ten.
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Potential problem: The three-point line is moving back next season, which could well negate any improvement our 3 shooters make from being a year older. The system will be familiar, but it will need to be tweaked again to allow for the extra couple feet.
Also: crummy recruiting class. Not highly regarded, anyway - Beilein picked up two system guys and a big gumpy center. Cronin (the center) is the only one that showed up much on recruiting boards. Stu Douglass had offers in from the likes of Evansville and Loyola of Chicago.
The silver lining is this: Michigan got beat this year because their shooting was atrocious in most games, and teams would simply zone up on them, clog up the inside, and dare them to shoot over the zone. Which most of the time, they couldn't. With a larger three-point arc, it will be easier to pass inside against the zone.