While the Michigan football defense doesn’t have a ton of questions, the offense absolutely does. There’s a new offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey, there will likely be a new starting quarterback, new faces at the skill positions (namely transfers) and an offensive line that has a lot of questions that demand answers.

Spring will provide an opportunity for the Wolverines to figure out what they have on the offensive side of the ball, namely at quarterback. But some other positions, like running back, will be looking to figure out who can provide depth. Wide receiver needs playmakers and is wide open.

With that in mind, here is our spring ball depth chart with the first practice having started on Tuesday.

Quarterback

This is the way we see it: Underwood is going to have to earn the starting job in order to be the first man out on Aug. 30. And Mikey Keene, though not as talented, knows everything to do in terms of pre-snap and the speed of the game that Underwood doesn’t. Spring ball should help him get ahead of the curve, certainly, but for now, we can’t pick between the two. But we believe it will be between the two.

Running back

This will likely be a co-starter situation, but we give the edge to Haynes over Marshall, despite the impressive ReliaQuest Bowl performance for the now-second-year player. The bigger question is who the third back will be and for now, we’d say it’s Benjamin Hall, but Micah Ka’apana could have a say.

Wide receiver

This might look a lot different after spring ball as Michigan will be getting UMass transfer Anthony Simpson in, and with the reset with Chip Lindsey taking over at offensive coordinator, every player will have an opportunity. We’d like to see Walker take a big step forward, as well as the two sophomores — Channing Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart — but for now, this is close to what we think the group looks like.

Tight ends

We’d like to see Deakon Tonielli make a move, but he hasn’t yet appeared in two years. Thus, we’re giving a nod to Prieskorn to get involved. Klein and Hansen are likely entrenched as starters, as is team captain Bredeson at fullback. Eli Owens could get involved in heavy packages, as well.

Offensive line

We’d slot incoming transfer Lawrence Hattar for Gach, but he doesn’t arrive until summer. We’d like to see Connor Jones make a move, and it wouldn’t be surprising either to see Brooks Bahr — who switched from defensive line last year — to make a move into the two deep. Link very well could be the starting tackle, but with some questions across the board, we’re moving him inside and putting Efobi in as a starter for now.

This group definitely has question marks.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football spring 2025 offense two-deep prediction

Every morning when Oklahoma City Thunder fans prepare for work or school, they wake up drenched by a bucket of cold water. Whether it’s “First Take” or its copycats, sports media celebrities cast doubt on their young squad’s chances of playoff success.

One popular theory that’s been parrotted around? The Thunder’s top-four offense will dry up in the playoffs when referees are less lenient about giving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calls off drives. Never mind that OKC is 27th in free-throw attempts and commits the sixth-most fouls.

Because Gilgeous-Alexander’s mythos of being a foul grifter have grown beyond reality, folks believe his efficient 33-point average will drop in the playoffs. If you were curious whether the Thunder have the same concerns, Mark Daigneault let the air out of the balloon.

Daigneault said all he wants from the referees in the playoffs is the same thing he wants in the regular season — a consistent whistle. Call it tight or let them player, either way, he wants the same energy for every game.

“I don’t look at it in terms of how the whistle benefits us. We adapt to the whistle. We benefit from a consistent whistle because we can more easily adapt to it if it’s consistent,” Daigneault said. “If we know what it’s gonna be. If we know that this is a foul and this isn’t, we can more easily adapt to it. If it’s difficult to know that, it’s harder to adapt. We don’t really care how they’re going to call it. But if they call it the same night to night, that makes it easier to adapt.”

Ultimately, we won’t know how the Thunder will look in the playoffs until they’re in it. But considering their regular-season dominance and how they’ve relied to score buckets, losing the free-throw battle shouldn’t be a season-ender — especially since that’s been the case for most of the year anyway.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Mark Daigneault wants a consistent whistle from referees in playoffs

The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history.

Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego.

 To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the first of 12 players who wore the No. 8 jersey for the Warriors.

That player would be Golden State big man alum Tony Farmer. After ending his college career at Nebraska, Farmer would go unselected in the 1991 NBA draft, he would play in other domestic leagues and abroad until he signed with the Charlotte Hornets in 1997.

He’d end up playing aborad again until he signed with the Dubs for his last season in the NBA in 1999.

During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Farmer wore only jersey No. 8 and put up 6.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors jersey history – No. 8 – Tony Farmer (1999-2000)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.

For this article, we continue with the 23rd jersey number in the series, jersey No. 21, with 16 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.

The 16th of those players did so in the Oklahoma City Thunder era, guard alum Aaron Wiggins. After ending his college career at Maryland, Wiggins was picked up with the 55th overall selection of the 2021 NBA draft by the Thunder.

The Greensboro, North Carolina native has played all 4 seasons of his pro career with OKC, up to the present.

During his time suiting up for the Thunder, Wiggins wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 21 – Aaron Wiggins (2021-25)

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 13th of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 11 which has has had a total of 19 players wear the number in the history of the team.

The first of those players wearing No. 11 played in the (then) New York (now, Brooklyn) Nets and (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets eras, guard alum Bubbles Hawkins. After ending his college career at Illinois State, Hawkins was picked up with the 51st overall selection of the 1975 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors.

The Detroit, Michigan native would play the first season of his pro career with the Dubs, signing with the Nets after Golden State cut him in 1976. His stay with the team would span 2 seasons, ending when he signed with the Detroit Pistons in 1978.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Hawkins wore only jersey No. 11 and put up 17.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 11 – Bubbles Hawkins (1976-78)