I’m guessing this gets said every year 100x from Feb thru Apr, then we shift into the “wow every newcomer is going to be amazing phase” then the Big Ten wins or loses the Gavitt Games and then the same thing happens in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and we come to a conclusion…
In the end, the Big Ten will probably be one of the 2nd ,3rd or 4th best leagues in the country 
I’m usually not one to argue for players to stay but staying at Michigan seems like the best decision Hunter can make for his financial and professional future. If he can return and make this team elite, he can become a NPOY caliber player, and we’ve seen time and time again how Naismith winners get drafted on name recognition alone.
The thing is um does not have much nil momentum(specifically in basketball) at all, at a place crazy about basketball like iu and Illinois I could see it but not at um.
How would everyone feel if no one left so that we’d have 0 open scholarships and our only guards were Collins, Bufkin, Dug? That might be a reason for Hunter to leave tbh. Is he really gonna get into POY contention with those guards?
Am I the only one who doesn’t see this as all that concerning? Frankie and Kobe are both going to be really good next year IMO… Obviously need another guard for depth but I’m not worried if you tell me those two are our starters.
Hunter has several national level campaigns. No idea how much those pay but being as well known as he is already he could still get a good NIL thing going even without Michigan fans per say
If you don’t have an ESPN subscription, here’s a free list of their Top 100 prospects. A little different from their mocks and not updated as often.
Houstan at 42, Moussa at 55
That just seems like a higher end outcome at this point. Depending on what you mean by “really good” I guess. Best case at this point is likely starter caliber player for both of them. With Bufkin’s being a bit higher level than Collins where maybe he can be a top 25ish player in conference. The floor is pretty low there though which is the issue, again especially with Collins. And having 0 depth there contributes to that floor as well
Christie essentially said that when I got the chance to interview him earlier this year. Would be shocked if he doesn’t return.
(He’s also shooting 32% from the floor and 29% from three in conference play with more turnovers than assists in 32.4 minutes per game)
The one guy that Izzo can’t keep off the floor lol
I fundamentally disagree with you about their ceilings. Freshman guards just struggle sometimes. Kobe could easily be an all big ten level player next year. I’m not sure about Frankie, the shooting is a problem, but his athleticism is absolutely elite. On Kobe, Johnny Davis had a 99.1 o rating on 17.8% usage last year. Kobe is at 96.5 on 17.4% usage. I’m not saying he’s going to be Johnny Davis next year but it’s not exactly unheard of for guys to make leaps and Kobe absolutely has the ability to do so.
Playing time has to be included to use those stats.
My thing with Edey is that Boban is basically Edey + way better touch and he is a only a 3rd center in the NBA. How the heck is Edey gonna be better than Boban? And he’ll need to make strides with his finishing to even reach his current level.
In that scenario, yikes at jace and Glenn takes
Juwan gonna need to pick up the tab for Jace’s scholarship in this scenario
I get what you mean but I’m just talking a range on outcomes for just next year. We can’t plan on something because “it’s not unheard of”. Considering Kobe barely plays and is just now holding his own any projection at an all B1G level (like Davis) for next year is extremely optimistic and something only Michigan fans would do. I think based on age and current level of play Bufkin is 2 years away from being an all B1G guy but next year will flash that at times but have some struggles mixed in as well. Similar to Poole’s sophomore year basically with maybe a little less variance.
It’s possible Bufkin has that huge jump, but that’s the 99th% outcome
I mean these things are tough to plan for so it’s tough to yikes at any of that but it’s not ideal
But there’s always a Boban or two in the league. Edey doesn’t have to be better than Boban to be the next Boban.
Outside of Duke and UNC, what powerhouse recruiters are there in the SEC? Louisville could be but they’re in a rough spot. Right now, the SEC is doing a great job on the recruiting front. But I think you could probably stack the player development of Big Ten teams up with just about any conference. Big Ten has five teams with 2+ 4* and above. ACC has seven, but two of those are Duke and UNC. SEC has six but one of those is Kentucky. Big 12 has three. Big Ten doesn’t have a real blue blood and the one that is closest - Indiana - has rarely been operating at a high level the past 20 years.
Yeah to an extent but it was pretty obvious that a glut of undersized combo forwards that couldn’t shoot was coming