James Hawkins
The Detroit News
It didn’t matter where Youssef Khayat was. Whether he was playing in Lebanon or France, he would always tune in to the NCAA Tournament.
He would fill out brackets like any college basketball fan, even if he didn’t know all the teams. He would sacrifice his sleep and stay up late to watch certain games, like Michigan’s 2021 Elite Eight matchup against UCLA.
“I think it’s the greatest sporting event of the year,” Khayat said on the program’s “Defend the Block” podcast this offseason. “Playing in the NCAA Tournament is something I would have hoped to (do) this year. The goal next year for me and for all the guys is not just to make it, but to compete and to win. I think competing in it isn’t enough.
“Being able to change our drought…is something that me and the guys would take incredible pride in. That’s our goal next year.”
It goes without saying Michigan basketball fell well short of its goals in what was a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. The Wolverines ended up in the NIT and finished 18-16, their worst mark since the 2014-15 season, which is also the last time the program failed to make the Big Dance.
The fact it happened with an All-America center and two top-15 picks — a program feat that happened in the NBA Draft for the first time since 1994 — on the roster adds insult to injury and offers a cruel reminder that Michigan underachieved.
But for the returning Wolverines, being on the wrong side of history as the first team in the modern era with two top-15 draft picks to not reach March Madness has been sobering and provided a source of motivation this offseason.
“My goal coming here was, yeah, I want to play in the NCAA Tournament every year. Not making it this year, (my) first year playing, really hurts,” forward Will Tschetter said. “I think program-wide, you see dudes are super frustrated. A lot of guys took a look in the mirror and said, ‘What can I do better? How can I make the team better?’
“We’ve definitely had those conversations, from one-on-one to in team group chat settings, about what we can do to turn the ship around and make it into a super successful season next year.”
The work to make sure that happens is already underway. Center Tarris Reed Jr., who is entering his sophomore season, said he didn’t know what to expect in the summer as a freshman. This time around, he has a better idea and understands the importance.
If Michigan is going to fix what went wrong last season and be the team it needs to be in order to reach the NCAA Tournament this upcoming season, it all starts with June workouts.
“We’re going to grind, we’re going to scratch, we’re going to be the toughest team on that court for next year because of what happened (last season),” Reed said. “Nobody wants to miss March Madness. Us freshmen, like me and Dug (McDaniel), we understand that feeling now. People like T-Will (Terrance Williams II), he said, ‘Man, it was the worst feeling not making March Madness.’
“Now, we know what it feels like not making it and seeing teams you played against and beat in the tournament. We have to lock in from Day 1 in order to make the tournament, in order to go deep in the tournament. What’s going to be pretty big is the offseason.”
While the roster might not be finalized — Michigan still has two open scholarship spots remaining — Tschetter is optimistic the team has the pieces in place to get things back on track and prove last year’s Big Dance absence was an anomaly.
The Wolverines were in the NCAA Tournament picture last year and were on the bubble late in the regular season. But, the reality is Michigan coughed up too many second-half leads, crumbled in too many crunch-time situations and came up short in too many close games — the theme of the Wolverines’ season, with 13 of their losses being decided by six points or less or in overtime — to snag a berth.
“When you look at it, there were many games that we were losing by one, two possessions. We weren’t getting blown out of the water,” Tschetter said. “I think knowing that we were that close so many times creates a sense of like we’re right there, we really can do it.
“Going forward, we know that one or two of those plays in the game can determine whether we’re in the tournament, we’re in the NIT or we’re sitting at home when other teams are playing late into March. Being able to take a look back and see what goes into those few plays that are game-winning plays is going to be huge for us.”
Forward Terrance Williams II has experienced the ups and downs during his time in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines won the Big Ten regular-season title and reached the Elite Eight his freshman year. He helped Michigan advance to its fifth straight Sweet 16 as a sophomore. Then last year as a junior, he struggled throughout Michigan’s frustrating campaign.
Simply put, Williams has seen it all. But he’s also noticed there is more “urgency” at this time of the year than ever before. And that’s not just with players, but everyone in the program.
“Not making the (NCAA) tournament, let’s be frank, that was just embarrassing,” Williams said. “It woke a lot of people up, including myself, and that can’t ever happen again. I think we’re all working hard. We all know what’s at stake here. We know we play for Michigan. We know what people are expecting from us.
“I feel like the one good that came out of last season is that we know what we can’t do, and we know what we’ve got to do to not be in that position again. It’s a learning experience. I feel like we all learned from it and we’re going to be much better.”
Coming off an underwhelming season that was followed by a rough couple of months where Michigan’s top three scorers — Kobe Bufkin (NBA), Hunter Dickinson (transfer) and Jett Howard (NBA) — all left, Reed’s message to the fan base is simple: Believe and trust the process.
Williams, though, isn’t worried about how the team may be viewed. Michigan’s expectations and goals will remain the same, no matter what happened last season and what’s changed since then.
“I love where we’re at right now. I love how we’re under the radar,” Williams said. “A lot of people are counting us out. Let’s be honest, they say we’re going to be at the bottom of the Big Ten.
“I feel like as long as we stay together and we believe in ourselves, we’re going to be fine this year. I don’t care what nobody thinks outside of our circle. … Please doubt us. We’re going to come back and we’re going to shock the world.”
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