College football season kicked off over the weekend, but college basketball season is around the corner. Preview magazines are starting to hit the shelves around the country, starting with The Sporting News College Basketball Yearbook.
Sporting News expects Michigan to take a step backward in 2014-15, predicting the Wolverines will finish fifth in the Big Ten and outside of the top 25.
Caris LeVert was named to the magazine’s 10-man Big Ten All-Conference team along with Branden Dawson – who the magazine selected as a Preseason First-Team All-American – Yogi Ferrell, Frank Kaminsky, Terran Petteway, Sam Dekker, A.J. Hammons, Maryland’s Dez Wells, Dawson, Penn State’s D.J. Newbill and Ohio State’s Sam Thompson.
Incoming freshman Kameron Chatman was tabbed for the Big Ten All-Newcomer team along with Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr., Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Lee and Maryland’s Romelo Trimble.
Arizona (1), Villanova (11), VCU (17), Syracuse (23) and SMU (25) are Michigan’s potential non-conference opponents ranked in the top 25.
Additional notes and complete Big Ten predicted order of finish after the jump.
Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker is on the second team All-America along with Nebraska’s Terran Petteway while Frank Kaminsky is third team All-America.
The entire Sporting News Top 25 is: Arizona, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisville, Virginia, Florida, Wichita State, Villanova, Texas, Gonzaga, Iowa State, UConn, San Diego State, VCU, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Utah, Ohio State, Nebraska, Syracuse, Harvard and SMU.
The magazine’s complete Big Ten predicted order of finish is:
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Ohio State
- Nebraska
- Michigan
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Indiana
- Penn State
- Purdue
- Northwestern
- Rutgers.
