The Michigan Wolverines have been a clear-cut top-five team for the majority of the year. Juwan Howard and company will be entering the NCAA Tournament short-handed after discovering senior forward Isaiah Livers has fractured his right foot. He injured his foot in a win over the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines would lose a hard-fought game against Ohio State the very next day. Michigan is still in line for a one or two seed, but Livers was important on their roster.
? WOLVERINE NEWS ?
Juwan Howard announced Isaiah Livers will be out indefinitely after an MRI following yesterday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game against Maryland revealed a stress injury to his right foot.
Release | https://t.co/Ty6aFuQbLt#GoBlue ??? pic.twitter.com/IQTp6eKKiH
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) March 13, 2021
Livers has spent four years playing for Michigan and this year started every game before the foot fracture sidelined him. Experience is incredibly important the deeper a team gets into March Madness. This could be a problem for the Wolverines deeper into the NCAA Tournament. The Michigan big man averaged 13.1 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game this year for the team. He also shot 43.1 percent from three this season to pair with his other numbers. The Michigan Forward battled injuries for a large portion of his junior year as well. It seemed he had moved past these problems, but sometimes bad things happen.
The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility for all college basketball players this year, but it is unclear what Livers will do about that. He could decide to play professionally in some capacity or he could indeed come back for a 5th season. This is an unfortunate turn for a talented player on a talented team heading into the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
