Podcast: Analyzing Michigan basketball's transfer portal fits, thoughts on roster and more
The Wolverine’s Anthony Broome and Chris Balas discuss the fallout from Michigan basketball’s departures of Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan and how different the 2021 class looks now. Also discussed are transfer portal fits, why Emoni Bates still feels like a longshot, early thoughts on the next year’s team and more.
Watch or listen to the full Michigan discussion below
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U-M headed back to rebuild mode
From Balas’ piece on Wednesday:
Once again, the Wolverines will be looking for help in the transfer portal to replace departures. This time it’s two in Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan, neither of which seems ready for the NBA or assured to get drafted. They’ll stay in the draft nonetheless and hope for the best after one season at Michigan.
But he’s a big one, and given the choice, having him return over either of the other two is a no-brainer. He’s a difference-maker, one of the top players in college basketball … and now he’ll be asked to carry the 2022-23 squad even more.
The Wolverines will have four new starters on the floor next season surrounding center Hunter Dickinson. The irony — he seemed like the one most likely to leave at the end of the year after flirting with the NBA last season. Now, he’s the only one back.
At power forward, redshirt freshman Will Tschetter and true frosh Tarris Reed are the two who will get first crack with Diabate leaving. Neither has any experience, but both have great potential.
“Will is a legitimate outside shooter. He is a terrific, explosive athlete,” Michigan assistant Phil Martelli said. “Now he’s going to have to combine the mental with the physical defensively. Will’s going to have to balance defensively physicality with awareness …
“He has got that physicality. He’s a banger, banger, banger, but he’s got to combine that mental and physical and not just be out there slamming away.”
Potential transfer portal fits
A list of potential transfer portal targets was published on Thursday morning at The Wolverine, headlined by Northwestern’s Pete Nance.
“This would be the white whale addition for Michigan. Pete Nance took a major leap last season at Northwestern, upping his three-point shooting by almost ten percentage points (45.2%). He went through the 2022 NBA Draft cycle and elected to withdraw and is one of the bigger pieces remaining in the portal. Nance is the fourth-best available player remaining in On3’s Transfer Portal rankings and would form the best frontcourt duo in the Big Ten with Dickinson. If it is at all realistic, Howard and Michigan should be banging down the door to bring him into the fold. Nance would slide right into the starting power forward role in Ann Arbor. North Carolina is also presumed to be a potential landing spot.“
Read more on top transfer options in our piece this morning on The Wolverine.
