Michigan To Be Without Major Contributor For First Tournament Game

It's now confirmed that Michigan will be without a major piece of the puzzle for the matchup against Colorado State.

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard has confirmed that DeVante' Jones will miss tomorrow's NCAA Tournament game against Colorado State.

"He will not be able to suit up on Thursday, and it's a bummer," Howard said of Jones. "He led our team, and he's also a big reason why we're here."

Per Howard, Jones took an inadvertent elbow to the nose while driving to the lane and will miss the game while he's in concussion protocol.

Jones being out is a major loss for the Wolverines. After struggling a bit out of the gate, Jones has been instrumental for U-M over the last half of the season. He plays just under 30 minutes per game, averages almost 11 points per contest and also dishes out around five assists and grabs about five boards every time he steps on the court. The biggest thing about him is that he's calm, steady and runs the offense well. Without, younger, less experienced players will have to step up. 

Freshman Frankie Collins needs to step up in a major way. Collins only plays about 10 minutes per game and has never been the guy at point guard this season. His season high in scoring is just eight, while four is his high water mark in both assists and rebounds. He's a phenomenal athlete with a knack for finishing at the rim, but he has struggled shooting the ball from just about everywhere else. He's attempted just 15 three-pointers on the season and has only connected on two of them. In his limited minutes, he has been pretty solid with the ball, however. 

Any way you slice it, this is a big blow for Michigan. The Wolverines are the lower seed but are actually favored in the game. The spread is just one point, but still. Jones being out certainly will affect the outcome. If Collins can knock down a couple outside shots while maintaining his ability to finish at the rim while taking care of the ball and getting it to the main scoring options, Michigan will be fine. That's a lot to ask of a true freshman in his first start of the season, especially in the tourney.