Michigan guard Zak Irvin to miss six to eight weeks after back procedure

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Another Michigan basketball player will spend the offseason recovering.

The Wolverines announced Wednesday that junior guard Zak Irvin will undergo a back procedure and be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks.

"We expect a 100-percent recovery for Zak after this procedure," head coach John Beilein said in the announcement. "We will not rush his return, but given Zak's work habits and determined attitude, we anticipate he will be back on the court and at full speed sometime near the beginning of our season."

Eight weeks from Wednesday is Nov. 4. The Wolverines start their 2015-16 season with an exhibition game against LeMoyne on Nov. 6.

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Irvin was leaned on heavily last season as the other two-thirds of Michigan's trio of top players, Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton Jr., sat on the bench with season-ending injuries. Irvin started all 32 of Michigan's games and averaged 14.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

In addition to the recoveries from last season's injuries to LeVert and Walton and the new recovery for Irvin, Michigan also must deal with the recovery of Spike Albrecht, who had hip surgery earlier this offseason.

But those injuries last season came with a silver lining in the form of experience for younger players, and because of it, Michigan is expected to be very deep and be one of the better teams in the Big Ten this season.

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