The 2016–17 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach John Beilein in his tenth year, played their home games for the 50th consecutive year at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This season marked the program's 101st season and its 100th consecutive year as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team earned the 2017 Big Ten Conference tournament championship and reached the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The entering class included 2016 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year and Ohio Mr. Basketball Zavier Simpson. The departing class included graduating seniors Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht who were both injured midway through the prior season. Sophomores Aubrey Dawkins, Kameron Chatman and Ricky Doyle transferred out of the program. The team also lost assistant coaches Bacari Alexander and LaVall Jordan who had both been with the team for six seasons.
Senior co-captain Derrick Walton earned second-team All-Big Ten recognition during the 2016–17 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season. Moe Wagner and Zak Irvin were honorable mention All-Big Ten selections. The team enjoyed a healthy season in which its top 8 scorers played in all 38 games.
Departures Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht graduated during their senior seasons for the 2015–16 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. Albrecht used the graduate transfer option to play a fifth year for the 2016–17 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team. Ricky Doyle announced he would transfer to another program for his final two seasons of eligibility. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he would have to sit out the 2016–17 season before becoming eligible. On April 1, Beilein decided not to restrict Doyle or Albrecht from transferring to schools within the Big Ten if they desired to do so. On April 6, 2016, Aubrey Dawkins transferred to play for the UCF Knights, where his father, Johnny Dawkins, had been named head coach two weeks prior. The following day, assistant coach LaVall Jordan, who had spent the prior 6 seasons with Michigan, was hired as the head coach of Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball. On April 20, the story broke that assistant coach Bacari Alexander, who had spent the prior 6 seasons with Michigan, would leave to be hired as the head coach of Detroit Titans men's basketball. On May 3, 2016, Albrecht announced he would play his final year of collegiate basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers. On that same day, Kameron Chatman announced his intention to transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. On May 4, Billy Donlon and Saddi Washington were named assistant head coaches. On May 17, Doyle announced his decision to play for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, which became official 2 days later. On June 8, Chatman announced that he would transfer to play at Detroit under Alexander after sitting out one season.
Preseason On October 11, 2016, a panel of conference media selected a 10-member preseason All-Big Ten Team and Derrick Walton was among the honorees. Zak Irvin and Walton represented the team at the October 13 Big Ten Basketball Media Day held in Washington, D.C. Michigan began the season unranked, but received votes in the preseason Coaches' Poll. The team scheduled its third annual Open Practice, Selfie Promotion day for October 25. According to SB Nation Irvin (#11), Walton (#16) and Muhammad Ali Abdur Rahkman (#23) were among the 25 best players entering the season in the Big Ten Conference. On November 1, Michigan announced that the team would have an anthem buddy program for youth between age 8 and 11 to stand for the anthem with their favorite player. Walton and Irvin served as co-captains.
2016–17 recruits On August 7, 2014, Jon Teske, who lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan suburb of Grandville until he was 10 and his family moved to Medina, Ohio, committed to Michigan via Twitter. On April 16, 2015, Austin Davis of Onsted, Michigan committed to Michigan. On May 11, Tyus Battle committed to Michigan. At the time of Battle's signing, the entire set of scholarships for the class of 2016 seemed to be allocated. On June 19, Battle decommitted from Michigan. On July 28, Ibi Watson committed to Michigan from Caris LeVert's alma mater Pickerington High School Central. On September 9, Zavier Simpson committed to the team. At the time he was ranked as the number 66 player and number 12 point guard by ESPN, number 55 and number 12 by Scout.com and number 87 player and number 44 guard by Rivals.com, making him the number 69 player and 13 point guard by 247Sports.com. Davis, Teske, Watson and Simpson all signed their National Letters of Intent on November 11, 2015. Michigan announced that sophomore Fred Wright-Jones (a team manager as a freshman and NCAA-recognized official practice player after injuries to LeVert and Albrecht) would join the team as a walk-on.
Among the accomplishments of the recruits are Simpson earning the 2015 Ohio Associated Press Division I Player of the Year and Davis earning the 2015 Michigan Associated Press Class B Player of the Year awards as juniors as well as Simpson's 2014 Ohio Division III state championship.
Simpson was named 2016 Ohio Mr. Basketball by the Associated Press. Simpson's Lima Senior High School was undefeated until losing in the OHSAA Division I championship game to Westerville South High School, finishing the season 29–1. Simpson also earned the Ohio Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year honor. Michigan recruits Simpson, Ibi Watson and Jon Teske were all named to the 2015–16 Associated Press Ohio high school Division I boys basketball all-state 1st team. ESPN's Jeff Borzello named Simpson as one of the top 25 entering freshman in the 2016–17 class on April 6, 2016. Austin Davis finished second in the Mr. Basketball of Michigan voting to Michigan State commit Cassius Winston of University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. Davis repeated as Michigan Associated Press Class B Player of the Year.
Future recruits
2017–18 On October 23, 2015, four-star recruit Jordan Poole became the first commitment for the Class of 2017 after home gym visit from Beilein and assistant coach Jordan and multiple Michigan campus visits. Poole had several competing offers including Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Memphis, Marquette, and Auburn. As a junior, Poole was a 2016 WBCA All-State Boys Basketball first team selection. On June 20, 2016, reports confirmed that Michigan had recruited Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews, who played his freshman season for the 2015–16 Kentucky Wildcats. Matthews would have to sit out the 2016–17 season. Michigan confirmed the story on July 1. The same day, Poole announced that he would transfer from Rufus King High School in Wisconsin to La Lumiere School in Indiana, where he would experience a campus lifestyle, play a schedule with several ESPN broadcasts, and be teamed up with unsigned class of 2017 prospects Brian Bowen and Jeremiah Tilmon. On July 19, Spring Grove Area High School point guard Eli Brooks, committed to Michigan over offers such as defending national champion Villanova, Ohio State, N.C. State, Temple and Kansas State. On August 7, Isaiah Livers committed to Michigan over contenders Michigan State, Butler, Minnesota, California and Boston College.
Livers was named 2017 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball of Michigan. He is Michigan's 11th Mr. Basketball of Michigan, but the first since Manny Harris in 2007. Poole was a member of the 2017 Dick's National High School Champion La Lumiere team.
2018–19 On December 22, 2016, junior recruit David DeJulius became the first commitment for the Class of 2018 after receiving a December 17 offer following his career-high 46-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist performance of December 17 in leading East English Village Preparatory Academy over Dakota High School and Michigan State signee Thomas Kithier.
Season summary
November On November 4, the team played an exhibition game against , winning 77–49. Wagner and Irvin led the team with scoring in the exhibition with 15 points each. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman sat out the exhibition with an ankle injury. Michigan opened the season on November 11 against Howard, winning 76–58. Derrick Walton led the team in scoring with 20 points, including four three-pointers, while D.J. Wilson led the team in rebounding with eight rebounds to go along with nine points playing in 20 minutes off the bench. Additionally, Rahkman returned from his ankle injury reclaiming his spot in the starting line-up. On November 13, Michigan defeated IUPUI, 77–65. Zak Irvin led the team in scoring with 15 points, as four Wolverines finished the game with double-digit points, while Wilson led the team in rebounds with 14, to go along with seven points and five blocks playing in 30 minutes off the bench. In the semifinal round of the 2016 2K Sports Classic held at Madison Square Garden on November 17, Michigan defeated Marquette 79–61 behind a team-high 16 points from Irvin and 4 other double digit scoring efforts, including D. J. Wilson's first career double-double (10 points and 12 rebounds). The following night, Michigan won the tournament by defeating SMU 76–54. Walton made seven three-point shots and scored 23, while Irvin added another 16 to earn tournament MVP. On November 23, Michigan suffered its first loss of the season to South Carolina, 61–46. Michigan was led by Walton with a team-high 15 points. Michigan scored 24 of its 46 points from the free throw line, shooting just 19 percent (10-for-52) from the field, including 2-for-26 from three-point range. On November 26, Michigan defeated Mount St. Mary's, 64–47. Michigan was led by Irvin with 14 points, as the Wolverines used a 25–4 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 17-point halftime lead. On November 30, Michigan lost to Virginia Tech 73–70 in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge. Michigan was led by Irvin with a game-high 23 points, as the Hokies rallied from a nine-point deficit at halftime to take their first lead of the game with 1:46 remaining and hold on to win.
December