Michigan Wolverines basketball is entering Big Ten play undefeated, and had a good thing going. The Maize and Blue are not deep at the center position, but it had fifth-year senior Austin Davis, and all of his experience, starting games, before freshman center Hunter Dickinson would come in and man the position for much of the contest.

That all is about to change, with Davis having suffered a plantar fascia injury on his right foot on a non-contact play in the last outing against Toledo. He is averaging 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but is now out indefinitely.

From a big man offseason fishing trip on Davis' boat to bonding each and every day at practice, the group of post players for Michigan have become a close, collective unit void of egos. Davis, a co-captain with senior forward Isaiah Livers, is well-known for his high character, and his loss will be felt for a plethora of reasons.

"It was definitely heartbreaking not just only for Austin, but the entire team," Dickinson said of Davis' injury. "He’s a guy who’s loved by everybody in the building — players, managers, coaches — everybody loves Austin.

"He just brings so much good energy and good vibes to the team that it’s hard not to like him, especially for me, being a big man with the way he’s brought me under his wing. For him to be a fifth-year senior, it could’ve been easy for him just to go out there and suck up all the minutes and play for himself. But the way that he’s really brought me under his wing and really taught me everything he knows, I’m so grateful for him."

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Dickinson appears ready for the moment, and it was inevitable he would take over the starting job at some point this season — the timeline has just been accelerated. He is already averaging 22.6 minutes per game and posting 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, proving he's ready for the added challenge. He and junior forward Brandon Johns will have to eat up more minutes and rise to the occasion.

"Hunter can handle anything that's thrown at him. He's proven that," head coach Juwan Howard said. "He welcomes any challenge because he's a very competitive guy."

"I’m pretty happy with my stamina right now," Dickinson said. "Coach has done a really good job of pushing us in practice and stuff like that, and so I’m ready to do whatever the team needs, however many minutes they need from me."

It will be an adjustment for Dickinson, who has had some time to watch the pace and how the refs are calling the game before replacing Davis off the bench, to instead start from the tip. But if Dickinson has proved anything early in his college career — and he has — he will have no problem adjusting.

"It is different. You have to prepare a little bit differently," Dickinson said. "When you come off the bench, you have a little break in between the end of warmups and game time. As a starter, you have to be ready from the tip. So, just in preparation, maybe just have to lock in a little bit sooner."

The former four-star recruit out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic has been playing at a level higher than any other freshman in the Big Ten so far. He's been better than advertised, but we'll surely learn more about just how good he is in Big Ten play, which begins Sunday against Penn State. The conference touts some of the best big men in the nation, including national player of the year favorite Luka Garza out of Iowa, who Dickinson is friends with and trained with over the summer.

Dickinson believes he's ready to do more and be more for Michigan, and there's no reason not to believe him.

"I played, first off, in the WCAC [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference]. I feel like that gave me a good edge up in the competition," Dickinson explained. "And also playing on the EYBL circuit, and then you factor that in with the camps that I went to, the USA tryouts and stuff like that.

"I think all those things prepared me to play against the best of the best in high school. So I think seeing great talent wasn’t a shock for me. I’m used to playing with really good talent, so i think that’s something that gave me an edge against other people, because other freshmen come in and they haven’t played with or against really good talent, and I think I have.

"I’ve been able to mesh with my teammates really well, and then also play against really good players."

If Dickinson continues his high-level play, Michigan's ceiling — and championship hopes — will continue to rise.

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