Michigan Basketball: 5 Facts Every Wolverines Fan Must Know About 2014 Roster

The 2013-14 season is still roughly five months away, but the Michigan basketball program is already generating a lot of buzz. The Maize and Blue faithful are undoubtedly looking forward to another successful season after the Wolverines' recent Final Four run.

Before the upcoming campaign gets underway, though, there are a few things Michigan fans should know about the roster. A few of these facts will have a direct impact on whether or not the Wolverines can capture a Big Ten Conference title.

It is time for everyone to learn about the returning and incoming members of the Michigan team hoping to make back-to-back Final Four appearances for the first time since 1993.

2 Freshmen Will Determine Whether or Not Michigan Wins a Big Ten Title

Rising sophomores Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary will undoubtedly be the stars for the Michigan Wolverines in 2013-14. However, if incoming freshmen Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton fail to live up to expectations, fans will have to wait for another year for Big Ten title No. 14.

Walton, a 4-star recruit, and Irvin, who recently garnered 5-star status, will play important roles for the Wolverines.

With Trey Burke heading to the NBA, Walton is the best fit to run the point. Fortunately for Walton, there will not be a whole lot of pressure to score. Robinson, McGary and Nik Stauskas should take care of that.

What Walton will be asked to do is take care of the basketball. This is easier said than done for a frosh in John Beilein's complex offense.

Michigan led the nation last season in assist-to-turnover ratio. For the Wolverines to be anywhere near as efficient, Walton will have to play well beyond his years.

Meanwhile, Irvin has the potential to be the best sixth man in the country. Stauskas and Caris LeVert are the two favorites to start at shooting guard, which likely means Irvin will have to come off the bench. 

The Fishers, Indiana native is a dynamic scorer, though, and Michigan will need him to produce. If Irvin is able to consistently score in double figures, the Wolverines have enough firepower to win a second league title in three years.

Neither will be a headliner, but Irvin and Walton will be Michigan's X-factors this season.

Jordan Morgan Is Going to Be More Motivated Than Ever

Nothing is worse for an upperclassman than losing his starting spot to a freshman. Rising redshirt senior forward Jordan Morgan knows this feeling all too well. 

Prior to an ankle injury on Jan. 27, Morgan had started 53 straight games. Unfortunately, Morgan never returned to form, which paved the way for Mitch McGary to crack the starting lineup. McGary's emergence in the NCAA tournament combined with Morgan's struggles made the decision to change that much easier for head coach John Beilein.

After enduring those hardships at the end of the 2012-13 campaign, Morgan will be more motivated than ever this season. The lone senior on Michigan's roster will likely be the captain. From a leadership standpoint, the Wolverines could not be in better hands.

For the time being, Beilein is considering a starting lineup featuring two big men. There is no better fit for the second forward spot than Morgan. Not only can Morgan run the pick-and-roll effectively, but his presence on the defensive end of the floor will help Michigan keep opponents from dominating the paint.

Morgan's comeback could be one of the biggest stories during the Wolverines' 2013-14 season. 

Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary Both Have a Lot to Lose

Passing up millions of dollars is a tough thing to ask of a young college athlete. Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary have both taken major risks returning to Ann Arbor for another season. Both could have been lottery picks in the 2013 NBA draft. One bad year could doom a player's stock.

ESPN's Chad Ford believes McGary made a mistake by coming back for another year with the Michigan Wolverines.

"McGary was the breakout star of the NCAA tournament and dramatically moved up our draft board (in April) as a result," Ford wrote, according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. "His decision to return, considering his age (he turns 21 before the draft) and high draft stock, is a puzzling one. Not sure his draft stock will ever be higher."

Unless McGary becomes a dominant force in the paint, continues to flash an impressive mid-range jump shot and develops a post game, he is unlikely to crack the lottery.

Consistency will also be a key for McGary this season. The Brewster Academy alum scored in double figures just seven times prior to the NCAA tournament. McGary scored at least 10 points in five of the Wolverines' six postseason contests.

Much like McGary, Robinson has to prove he can be a go-to player on a nightly basis. This is the only way for the 6'6", 210-pounder to climb the draft boards. 

Developing a more consistent jump shot and adding more muscle to his frame will help Robinson become Michigan's top scoring option. These improvements would be enough to get Robinson into the lottery.

Still, if either player fails to develop as expected, their decisions to return will be viewed as mistakes.

Nik Stauskas' YouTube Videos Mean Absolutely Nothing

It did not take Nik Stauskas long to make yet another YouTube video from his backyard. Less than one month after the Michigan Wolverines' Final Four run ended, Stauskas made 70-of-76 three-pointers, including 46 in a row, on camera. 

Stauskas has posted several videos to YouTube over the past year, but none of them means anything when it comes to on-court production.

Knocking down threes at home is a heck of a lot easier than draining shots against the physical opponents Michigan plays in the Big Ten. These videos are fun to watch and marvel at briefly. The key word being briefly. 

Unless Stauskas is able to improve defensively and knock down three-pointers consistently, Zak Irvin or Caris LeVert could very well replace him in the starting lineup. Those YouTube videos won't keep Staukas off the bench if those things don't happen.

The Scoring Distribution Will Be Much Wider Than in 2012-13

Much of the scoring load from last season's team fell on the shoulders of Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. The two combined to average 33.1 points per game, while the next pair of scorers averaged 11 points each.

Do not expect to see the same kind of scoring distribution this season. None of the returning players possesses the same kind of scoring ability as Burke or the streaky shooting of Hardaway. 

Glenn Robinson III should bump his production up a bit from 11 points per game. The same goes for McGary, who averaged 14.3 points in the Michigan Wolverines' six NCAA tournament games. Nik Stauskas' numbers are not going to fluctuate much.

Additional scoring will come from Zak Irvin, Derrick Walton and Caris LeVert. Those three should be able to alleviate some of the pressure from Michigan's top scorers. Irvin is an excellent shooter, Walton can score in bunches as well as create for others and LeVert's offense could take a leap forward this season.

Balance will be the word frequently used to describe the Wolverines' scoring statistics in 2013-14.