Michigan faces its first real test of the 2024-25 season this weekend when the Wolverines head to Greensboro, NC to face Wake Forest (Sunday, 1:00 p.m., ESPN2).
It’s a matchup of two programs with NCAA Tournament aspirations this year and two programs integrating several new pieces into their systems.
Wake Forest entered the year with some fairly significant hype. The Demon Deacons were picked 3rd in the preseason ACC poll, trailing only Duke and North Carolina, and even received a first-place vote. They finished 28th on KenPom last year and return potential All-American guard Hunter Sallis.
A lot of the air in the hype balloon has been released over the first few weeks of the season, at least for now.
Wake Forest was blown out in an early exhibition against Alabama, reportedly lost a secret scrimmage to West Virginia, and failed to cover in two season-opening buy games this week against the No. 361 and 282 teams in the country. The Demon Deacons fell 20 KenPom spots from their preseason spot at 44th to 64th in just a handful of days since the season tipped off on Monday.
Michigan’s early-season script has exceeded every expectation, but Sunday’s duel is the sort that will tell us what to actually believe about either program.