Michigan Wolverines basketball (13-1, 8-1 Big Ten) sits atop the Big Ten standings, but has been forced to shut down all activities for up to two weeks due to positive test results for the SAR-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant virus infections from several individuals linked to the U-M Athletic Department. None of the positive cases involve men's basketball players.

Here are three key questions for the Wolverines this week:

RELATED: Michigan Student-Athletes Call For Reversal Of 'Unnecessary' Shutdown

RELATED: Michigan Continues Its Ascent Up The AP Poll, Jumping 3 Spots In The Top 25

The decision to pause athletic-related activities was made by U-M officials, following a memorandum sent to the university by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which recommended the shut down which is set to last "until further notice and up to 14 days."

By the wording, there is inherently a chance that all or some sports resume before the 14-day mark (Feb. 6), but nobody is betting on that to occur. As a public institution, U-M took the MDHHS' recommendations as a mandate, and it would take a lot for the university officials to reverse course.

Even so, the student-athletes are fighting. A coalition of U-M athletes released a statement Monday calling for the reversal of the "unnecessary and excessive" requirement of isolation and quarantine.

Assuming the stoppage lasts the full two weeks, Michigan basketball will miss its next four games — at Penn State (Jan. 27), vs. Indiana (Jan. 30), at Northwestern (Feb. 3) and vs. Michigan State (Feb. 6).

But that is where this gets interesting. Unlike other teams that have shut down or not played games due to positive tests and/or contract tracing, Michigan is not able to practice, train or meet for the entirety of the pause. They will be behind the curve and might not be able to return right away, even when they are cleared. That would put the Feb. 11 game against Illinois also in jeopardy.

If Michigan does return Feb. 11 against Illinois, for sake of argument, the Wolverines would get only four days of practice, training and meetings ahead of that game versus the top-25 Illini. None of this means the Maize and Blue have no shot at getting back to their winning ways as soon as they hit the hardwood again, but it's highly unlikely Michigan would be back to its previous form right away.

"If you were on a 14-day pause, it usually takes 14 days to get back to where you were," Stadium national basketball analyst Jeff Goodman said on a recent episode of The Wolverine Podcast. "For every day you missed, you basically need one day on to be able to get back to 100 percent."