Mitch McGary Held Out of Michigan’s Opener


by Bill DiFilippo / @bflip33

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Michigan’s star sophomore big man Mitch McGary may not be ready in time due to a lingering back condition.

Today, Michigan coach John Beilein confirmed that McGary will not play in the team’s season opener tonight against UMass-Lowell.

McGary was one of Michigan’s biggest surprises during the team’s NCAA Tournament run. After averaging 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds during the regular season, McGary averaged 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds during the Tournament for the eventual national runners-up.

From Yahoo:

Coach John Beilein didn’t offer many details about McGary’s condition or progress. The 6-foot-10 sophomore was named to the AP’s preseason All-America team, but it’s not clear when he’ll be able to take the court this season. The seventh-ranked Wolverines will raise a banner Friday before the game to commemorate last season’s run to the Final Four.

There’s no word on how long McGary will be held out, but if he’s out for an extended period of time, it would certainly be a massive loss for the Wolverines—he was voted a pre-season First-Team All-American by the Associated Press earlier this week.