The Michigan men’s basketball team has just over two weeks before it will face its first set of tests this season — four professional Belgian basketball teams.
Michigan coach John Beilein and the Wolverines head to Europe Aug. 20 for their foreign tour — an excursion often afforded to college basketball teams every four years.
“You have this rare opportunity every four years to do this, like leap year, that we can see what we have, work at what we have and give these guys some great experience, plus a wonderful cultural experience,” Beilein said.
Michigan will enjoy tours of Paris and Amsterdam along with its game experience. But what this opportunity also allows the Wolverines is 10 days of practice prior to their departure, which means 10 extra days of practice for their season as well.
Other than the language barrier, the Wolverines will also experience a 24-second shot clock rather than the 30-second shot clock used in American college basketball.
“We’ll have a lot of shot clock violations over there,” Beilein said frankly. “It’s gotta help us … execute it early so we don’t have to get in those situations and then when you do get in those situations, understand each second counts and you can get things done.”
Beilein was confident the tour would benefit his young team — a team that is now looking to sophomore Darius Morris and juniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak for leadership as the most tenured players.
“It’s not like a full season,” Novak said of the game experience in Europe for the freshman. “But they won’t step on the court (in) October and be true freshman. They’re already gonna have four games against pro teams. So they’re gonna be ready to go.”
Legends Classic schedule announced: Michigan is set to tip off in familiar territory Nov. 18, when it faces Bowling Green in the Legends Classic. Three nights later, the Wolverines will host Gardner-Webb to close out the regional round for the tournament.
“It’s always good to start the season out on your home floor,” assistant coach Bacari Alexander said. “It gives you an opportunity to get some familiarity, it gives you some carry over from the practice floor that you use every day here in Crisler. I think once we soak up that atmosphere and go out and play hard it could serve as a catalyst for a pretty good year.”
The four host schools receive an automatic bid to the championship rounds, where Michigan will face Syracuse on Nov. 26. The Orange, one season removed from a third-round NCAA Tournament loss, should be a good gauge for the young squad.
“Anytime you have a young group like we have and you see there’s an opportunity for them to play a historic program like Syracuse University, there has to bring about a lot of excitement,” Alexander said.
Injury update: Three Wolverines are still not cleared for full court play. All three have taken part in drills at practice, with Beilein hoping the trio of forwards will be cleared to play by the time the Wolverines leave for Belgium.
Freshman forward Evan Smotrycz broke a toe in his right foot during a whiffle ball game one week before coming to Ann Arbor.
Freshman forward Colton Christian is out with a pulled hamstring along with redshirt freshman Jordan Morgan, who is nursing a shoulder injury. All three are expected to be cleared for play before the Belgian tour.