(But don't fret, that's coming later this afternoon.)

In-State Squads Offer Livers

As anticipated, Michigan offered four-star 2017 Kalamazoo Central PF Isaiah Livers on Monday, one day after Michigan State came forth with their own offer. Livers visited Ann Arbor in June and had extremely high praise for the program in the aftermath, per Sam Webb:

"June 22nd was the day of the visit… it was on a Wednesday… it blew me away,” said Livers.  “It was so far ahead of the other colleges I've been to. The University of Michigan was what you’d expect. It blew my mind, my dad was blown away. It just caught our attention, out of all the schools they're just ahead of everybody. They have the technology.  What I like the most is the angle shooting (machine). You would shoot, and you would turn it on, and it would say what your angle was on the jump shot so you could fix it. It was really sweet. That school just blew me away.  They’re academics of course are outstanding. It's just crazy. I'm going into business, so it kind of helps having a top ten school in the country."

Assistant coach Saadi Washington has recruited Livers dating back to his time at Oakland, and Livers said they have a strong relationship. Based on his size and this recent scouting report from Scout's Brian James, Livers sounds like a great fit for the four in Beilein's system:

Livers is a long 6-foot-8 player that has been working hard on his perimeter touch.  He’s hit 37 plus percent from the arc in EYBL and against UBC the long forward sunk a trey in the corner and another at the top of the key.  Livers is becoming a more confident shooter with his feet and his one-dribble pull-up jumper looks strong as well.  Also had a passing lane jump that he pushed the other way moving through traffic and producing a finger roll.

Isaiah looks like a defender that can defend multiple positions.  First off, Isaiah has really good length and he uses that length well.  Players had trouble getting looks over the top of him and his hands up in the passing lanes led to three deflections.  Also, this is a guy that seems to love to make strong box-out hits.  Once a shot goes up Livers turns to locate, makes a stiff forearm contact, and then holds his man well after making the initial hit.  Also does a very good job getting over in help to use that length. 

While Livers had a great Michigan visit, he's far from a lock; he grew up a Michigan State fan and has made several visits to East Lansing. He told Scout last week that he'll visit MSU for a football game in the fall, and he's also looking to visit Michigan, Minnesota, and Cal; he plans to take all of his officials before making a decision.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

M Makes Young's Top Five

Four-star 2017 OH wing Kyle Young announced his final five on Monday. Michigan made the cut along with Butler, Clemson, Ohio State, and Purdue. Michigan offered Young, who could play the three or the four, back in December, and the in-state Buckeyes currently hold a decided edge on his Crystal Ball. He told 247 earlier this month that he'll use all five of his official visits to see his finalists with the goal of making a decision before his senior season starts.

Another Transfer?

John Beilein already went outside his comfort zone once this offseason, bringing in Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews, an excellent athlete with work to do as a shooter. If they want, they might be able to add a similar player: CBSSports's John Rothstein reported last week that Buffalo guard Lamonte Bearden is transferring and has Michigan on his short list.

Buffalo transfer Lamonte Bearden told @CBSSports that he's considering Wichita State, Oregon, Miami, Virginia Tech, VCU, and Michigan.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 18, 2016

Bearden started at the point for back-to-back tourney teams at Buffalo in his first two seasons. He'd have to sit out this season before playing out his final two years of eligibility. He's much more of a slasher than a shooter at this point, and he's also an aggressive defender. If Michigan pursues him, it's a sign that Beilein is continuing to evolve—Dylan mentioned this in a recent mailbag when discussing the Matthews transfer:

The Matthews signing was particularly intriguing because I’m not sure if that’s the sort of transfer that Beilein would have gravitated to in the past. I think Matthews is a legitimate sign that Beilein is serious about improving the defensive abilities and athleticism on the roster.

Billy Donlan's presence almost certainly has something to do with this change in mindset. We'll see if anything develops from Michigan's end here; so far, I haven't seen any word one way or the other that they'll pursue Bearden.

Etc.

Five-star 2017 IN wing Kris Wilkes told The Wolverine's Chris Balas that he plans to cut his list on August 1st. There was some message board buzz last week when 247's lead basketball analyst, Jerry Meyer, flipped his Wilkes CB from Indiana to Michigan (a couple others followed), but I wouldn't read much into that; Meyer posted that he just wanted to get his pick off of IU.

Four-star 2017 IL wing Justin Smith told Scout's Brian Snow that Michigan is among the schools paying close attention to him, and his only visit currently set in stone is to Ann Arbor on August 18th. A Michigan offer could come at that point, and if so, the Wolverines would have plenty of competition; Smith also mentioned interest in Indiana and Villanova.

Michigan is following 2018 four-star MA SG Cormac Ryan more than any other program, his AAU coach told The Wolverine. He'll visit on August 6th, and it sounds like he's a top target in the class.