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The Michigan Wolverines are the 33rd team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the fifth team from the Big Ten. The Wolverines finished above .500 for the first time in program history at 8-6. However, they did not record a win in Big Ten play, and replaced John Paul with Kevin Conry as head coach during the offseason.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Michigan’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/10 | Cleveland State | Michigan | 13-8 W | |
| 2/13 | Bellarmine | Michigan | 13-5 W | |
| 2/17 | Michigan | Penn | 13-12 W | |
| 2/24 | Michigan | Yale | First meeting since 2014 (13-7 L) | |
| 3/3 | Siena | Michigan | First ever meeting | |
| 3/9 | Air Force | Michigan | First meeting since 2014 (15-12 L), Former ECAC rivals | |
| 3/17 | Marquette | Michigan | First ever meeting | |
| 3/21 | Michigan | Notre Dame | 16-5 L | |
| 3/24 | Michigan | UMBC | 10-7 W | |
| 3/31 | Maryland | Michigan | Big Ten | 15-8 L |
| 4/8 | Michigan | Rutgers | Big Ten | 14-7 L |
| 4/14 | Michigan | Ohio State | Big Ten | 18-7 L |
| 4/21 | Johns Hopkins | Michigan | Big Ten | 19-9 L |
| 4/24 | Michigan | Penn State | Big Ten | 17-13 L |
Gone are Detroit Mercy, Furman, Lafayette, and Mercer. In comes Air Force and Yale, as well as first timers Marquette and Siena.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: vs. Marquette
I’m going to be really intrigued by this matchup. The Wolverines will host the back-to-back Big East champions on St. Patty’s Day near the end of their nonconference schedule. The Golden Eagles lose some quality players from a year ago, but they still have some high expectations for 2018. Conry will look to earn a good home victory.
Best Conference Game: vs. Johns Hopkins
The Big Ten consists of Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Johns Hopkins, and Rutgers...oh and Michigan too. We tend to forget about them in the conference race because they’re bad in Big Ten play. They’ve won one conference game back in 2015 against Rutgers, and Rutgers is in the top five to start the season. The Hopkins game is home, but it will take a ton of work to earn their second Big Ten win.
Under The Radar Game: vs. Air Force
With the situation at Air Force appearing to come to a close, it’ll be interesting to see the outcome for the team. How will it affect the team as a whole entering 2018, and who may or may not be on the team when the season begins, including the head coach. This would be a great game for the Wolverines to win and gain some momentum into games against Marquette and Notre Dame.
Possible Upset: vs. Cleveland State
The second-year program debuted against Michigan and lost by only five. For their first ever game, that’s not even bad at all. The Vikings have another class of players, and who knows how much they’ll improve in Year 2. This will be Conry’s first game as head man, and a loss would not be a good start for the new boss.