Where Michigan basketball ranks in preseason KenPom rankings

Trent Knoop | Oct 14, 2024

Mar 13, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) shoots as Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (1) defends during the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Michigan basketball will take on Oakland on Oct. 20 for its first exhibition game of the new era. Dusty May will get a chance to see what his roster looks like before the real basketball begins on Monday November 4 against Cleveland State. After taking on Oakland, the Wolverines will have one more exhibition against Toledo on October 25.

Things are going to look differently when the Wolverines take the court. Coach May brought in an entirely new roster for the 2024-25 campaign. There are just three returning scholarship players from last season: Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, and Jace Howard. May will play with an up-tempo style and will likely shoot a ton of 3s.

Looingk toward the new season, KenPom released its preseason rankings on Monday. Michigan slots in at No. 36 overall -- one spot behind rival Michigan State. KenPom has the Wolverines ranked 34th offensively and 46th defensively.

The Preseason KenPom Top 100 👇 pic.twitter.com/TFgqGWec50
— Andrew Weatherman (@andreweatherman) October 14, 2024

The top-ranked Big Ten team is Purdue at 10th. You've got to go down to 23rd to find the next ranked Big Ten school which is Illinois. There are 12 Big Ten schools ranked inside the top 50.

The Wolverines are coming off of an 8-24 season last year. Coach Juwan Howard was let go following the season and both Tarris Reed Jr and Dug McDaniel left for other opportunities. The Wolverines went out and landed the most sought-after coach on the market in FAU's coach May to lead the charge.

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