Associated Press Preseason All-America center Mitch McGary will sit out Michigan's season opener Friday night vs. UMass Lowell at Crisler Center.
Asked on WTKA-AM (1050) Thursday morning whether McGary would play, Wolverines coach John Beilein said, “No, he won’t.”
McGary, who's nursing a lower-back condition, didn't play in the Wolverines' two exhibition games, either, but Beilein sounded confident that McGary wouldn't be out too long.
“He’s improving every day, making great improvements in everything he can do,” Beilein said.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore spent most of last season as a backup big man, but he earned national headlines when he moved into the starting lineup for Michigan's NCAA tournament run.
He averaged a double-double in Michigan's six games, highlighted by a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in an overtime upset of Kansas. In that game, he easily outplayed Kansas' highly-touted Jeff Withey, who had 12 points and eight rebounds.
McGary had another double-double in Michigan's Final Four matchup with Florida, but he managed only six points and six rebounds in the title-game loss to Louisville.
