As the 2013-14 NCAA men's basketball season tips off, the University of Michigan Wolverines find themselves in an enviable, albeit challenging, situation.

The team is coming off a season in which they:

  • Finished the regular season with a record of 13-5
  • Split the season series with two of their biggest rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State
  • Earned their first Big Ten championship (sharing the honors with the Buckeyes and Spartans) in 27 years (1986)
  • Made program history by opening with a 21-2 record
  • Reached the NCAA tournament's prestigious Final Four (last accomplished in 1992-93)
  • Gave Louisville a run for their money in the National Championship game, losing 82-76

So expectations are pretty high for head coach John Beilein's relatively young Wolverines' 2013-14 squad. And they will have to try and meet or even exceed those expectations without the services of point guard Trey Burke and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., both of whom chose to seek fame and fortune on the NBA's hard court.

Look for Beilein to lean heavily on freshman point guard Derrick Walton Jr. and sophomore shooting guard, Nik Stauskas, to try and fill the Burke-Hardaway Jr. void.