Daily Brews: Michigan outside of top five in way-too-early college hoops rankings

The expectation for Michigan Wolverines fans for the 2021-22 men’s basketball season remains the same: top seed in the tournament and a potential Final Four run. Juwan Howard proved last season that he can craft teams that are certainly capable of that.

Even with the losses of three starters and their sixth man, the Wolverines still have a stacked roster heading into the winter months. Led by the return of Eli Brooks and 2020 freshman phenom Hunter Dickinson, the Wolverines should be right back in the conversation for the best teams in the country. Not only that, but they bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country as well (before Memphis pulls off the Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren additions with reclassification to this season).

Coming off an Elite Eight run and a Big Ten championship, many fans believe this team should be given more respect than what they have been getting. Multiple rankings by the big wigs have them as a team somewhere in the Top-10. That remains constant in CBS Sports’ latest rankings by Gary Parrish where the Wolverines rank No. 6 in the land before the season. Here is what Parrish said about Howard’s team in 2021:

The return of Hunter Dickinson and Eli Brooks provides Juwan Howard with high-level experienced pieces to pair with the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class that features five-star prospect Caleb Houstan, five-star prospect Moussa Diabate and reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year DeVante’ Jones. The Wolverines should be the favorite to win what would be a second straight Big Ten title.

The five teams above Michigan include Villanova, Kansas, Texas, UCLA, and Gonzaga at the top of the rankings.

As Parrish mentions, he expects the Wolverines to finish atop the Big Ten for the second consecutive season. The closest in-conference team to the maize and blue is Purdue at No. 10. Then comes Illinois at No. 16, Ohio State at No. 18, Maryland at No. 21, and Michigan State at No. 24.

2022 three-star corner target sets commitment date

Jim Harbaugh and staff look to add another corner to their arsenal in the class of 2022 with three-star San Diego, California product, Jahlil Florence. Florence set his commitment date for this coming Thursday, Aug. 12 on Twitter:

Florence is the No. 370 player in the country according to 247sports and the No. 37 corner in the class. Oregon, Washington, and Michigan are in his Top-3 ahead of making the ultimate decision. He has three Crystal Ball predictions set to the Ducks.

Recruiting News

• Tipton Edits: Michigan target Jalen Duren commits to Memphis
• The Michigan Insider ($): Latest on Michigan DL target Kenneth Grant’s upcoming decision
• Michigan target Jett Howard to announce top seven schools next week

ICYMI at Maize n Brew

• Big Ten Football 2021 Preview and Projections: 4. Indiana Hoosiers
• Fall camp questions: How quickly can Michigan’s defense get turned around?
• Tarris Reed can be a star at Michigan
• Quinten Johnson’s 2021 outlook
• Mike Macdonald seeks to uncomplicate how Michigan plays defense

Around the Big Ten at SB Nation

• Land-Grant Holy Land: Ohio State has a wealth of freshmen talent, it wasn’t that long ago that they wouldn’t have been able to play
• The Only Colors: Michigan State gets commitment from 2022 four-star point guard Tre Holloman
• Corn Nation: Previewing the 2021 Michigan Wolverines - Corn Nation

State of Michigan Sports

• Pride of Detroit: Dan Campbell gives fiery speech to Ford Field crowd
• Detroit Bad Boys: Breaking down how Isaiah Livers translates to the NBA