Breakout Performer: Jordan Morgan, Michigan
Darius Morris was the glue that held the Wolverines team together - leading the team in scoring with 15 points per game (offensive rating of 108.9, 22nd in the nation) and topping the conference and ranking fifth in the country with 6.7 assists per game. His floater fell just off the rim as Michigan narrowly missed an upset opportunity of Duke in the NCAA Tournament. With Morris off to the NBA (selected 41st overall by the Lakers), John Beilein will ride power forward/center Jordan Morgan back to the NCAA Tournament.
The 6'8" rising-sophomore led all major-conference freshman in effective field-goal percentage, making 62.7 of his 2-point field-goal attempts and not attempting a 3. He played in just 24 minutes a game, averaging 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and .5 blocks and .6 steals per game; his minutes were often limited by foul trouble, but when he is in the game, Morgan is the key to Michigan's success as shown by his season-high 33 minutes against Northwestern resulted in a season-high 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting. He makes a living down low and around the rim where he rakes in offensive rebounds for put-backs; Morgan shows promise as a defensive rebounder and the Wolverines will certainly need him to improve in that area, as well as diversify his low-post scoring on offense. If Morgan can put forth better efforts there, Michigan will be in the NCAA Tournament for back-to-back years for the first time since the mid-90s.
By President Corey Ruff - 7-22-11
