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How Michigan lost Mitch McGary and became a Big Ten title favorite

Nicole Auerbach
USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines guard Nik Stauskas (11) celebrates against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Crisler Arena.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — John Beilein and his coaching staff spent their preseason mixing and matching possible lineups they never really ultimately got to test out this season.

They wanted the ability to go big — with preseason All-American Mitch McGary at the four along with a center, and the athletic Glenn Robinson III at the three.

They needed to be versatile; their team was about to look very different a few months after point guard Trey Burke, the 2012-13 national player of the year, and shooting guard Tim Hardaway both left Michigan to play in the NBA.

"One of our plans was, let's see if both of our big guys can play together," Beilein says. "Once Mitch went down, there was no hope of that."

McGary announced Dec. 27 that he would undergo back surgery and be out indefinitely. Back pain had plagued the 6-10 McGary since August, costing him the ability to work on his fundamentals and fully engage in preseason workouts. He played through the back pain off and on, missing the season's first two games and appearing in its next eight with playing time and production that fluctuated (and averaged out to an impressive 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds). The Wolverines went 4-4, with two losses coming to top-10 teams, during McGary's eight games.

Then, something almost inexplicable happened.

Since McGary's announcement, Michigan has won 12 games and lost just three. After their victory against Michigan State on Sunday, the Wolverines took a half-game lead in the Big Ten standings.

Four games remain on the Wolverines' schedule – against teams that have combined to win 20 conference games – putting Michigan in control of its own destiny and within sight of its first outright Big Ten title since 1986.

"As soon as Mitch McGary was out and done, they took off," says Nebraska coach Tim Miles, who was swept by Michigan this season. "That's not anything to do with Mitch McGary except that now, everybody knows where they fit in. They knew he was not there. They accepted their certain roles. Then, they blossomed as a team."

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Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein talks to guard Zak Irvin (21) and guard Caris LeVert (23).

Part of the credit for Michigan's turnaround must go to the pair of big men who replaced McGary at the center position – Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford. Together, the veteran big men have combined for 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, almost exactly what McGary was averaging before his surgery.

"They truthfully felt really bad for Mitch, but at the same time, they practiced all summer for this opportunity – now they had it," Beilein says.

Another piece of credit ought to go to the pair of sophomore guards – Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert – whose dramatic all-around improvement has provided the Michigan offense with two go-to guys.

"Watching film from last year, you'd see a lot of things Tim and Trey would do when plays broke down," Stauskas says. "If there was nothing to really go to, they would turn on the aggression and find ways to get shots late in the shot clock. I think that's what me and Caris have started to do as the season's progressed."

Or, as Beilein puts it: "Nik and Caris filled in the roles that Tim and Trey commanded.

"When we came into the year, the big question was going to be, OK: How important were Tim and Trey to the success of last year, and how important was the supporting cast?" Beilein said. "As the year went on, there were some moments like, OK, we're missing some things. Let's keep working on it. Then you watch Tim and Trey playing in the NBA, getting 20 points a game, and you say, 'Dang, those guys were really good.'

"At the same time, we go into where we find out from that point that these guys can still make plays on their own. They're out of that shadow."

Together, Stauskas and LeVert average more than 30 points a game. Each is capable of spontaneously going on a scoring burst, with a recent example coming in Sunday's game against Michigan State. LeVert scored Michigan's final six points of the first half, including a three at the buzzer. The ball left his fingers, and he instantly spun around and darted off to the locker room, nearly arriving there before the ball fell through the net. Stauskas picked up where LeVert left off, scorching the Spartans for 21 points in the second half.

Stauskas and LeVert's outside shooting opens up opportunities inside, says Robinson, the main beneficiary. Against Michigan State, Robinson scored 15 points, including a monstrous dunk that sealed the win with 2:35 to play. The emergence of Stauskas and LeVert has also taken some of the pressure off freshman point guard Derrick Walton Jr., who can focus on facilitating the offense more than scoring.

This team is Beilein's seventh at Michigan, and just like many of the six before it, it's a young team. One freshman, three sophomores and one senior make up its starting lineup.

Perhaps most impressive – more than the players themselves filling in and understanding roles they must play – is how Beilein has constantly and consistently tweaked his offensive system to make the most of his personnel this year. Michigan's is the third-most efficient offense in the nation, according to kenpom.com, and more efficient than it was last year – without Burke, Hardaway or McGary.

"He's done a great job of finding our strengths and weaknesses very quickly," Stauskas says. "Obviously, some of the sets carry over, but the majority of stuff we're running this year we didn't run last year; a lot was running through Trey and Tim. It's interesting to see that. He's obviously good at recognizing these are the things that work and those are the things we need to continue to do."

And their reward is in sight. Two years ago, Michigan earned a share of the Big Ten championship, and Indiana won it outright last season.

"The Big Ten regular season championship is remembered," Beilein says. "People get rings for that. You don't get rings for going to the NCAA tournament. That's a huge thing, a goal for every Michigan athlete. Our guys know that. To do that, there are some other people in the way. We've got work to do – and two weeks to do it."

To those outside the program, it seems unfathomable that a team that lost two first-round NBA talents and its preseason All-American forward would be in the driver's seat for a Big Ten title and be in the position to make a deep March run once again.

To those inside, none of that is surprising.

"We're not cocky, but we believe in ourselves," Stauskas said. "We believe every time we step on the floor we can beat anyone that's in front of us. Although everyone kind of counted us out when Mitch went down, I think we did a pretty good job of staying positive.

"We always had one goal in mind, and that was to win the Big Ten. To now be in this position where we have four games left and we can control our own fate, that's all we can ask for, really."

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