Michigan Basketball Team Loses Evan Smotrycz, Carlton Brundidge, Colton Christian

The Michigan Wolverines just took a big hit in their men's basketball program. According to the team's official website, sophomore forward Evan Smotrycz, sophomore forward Colton Christian and freshman guard Carlton Brundidge have decided to leave the basketball program and transfer to another school. There's not a lot of information in regards to why the move was made, but this kind of thing isn't exactly rare.

That doesn't mean it's not significant - this unquestionably hurts the Wolverines. Smotrycz has played in all 69 of this games with Michigan, averaging 19.4 minutes a game with 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds. His departure hurts the most, with the other two mostly coming in off the bench, but were factors nonetheless.

Head coach John Beilein had some quotes in the official release:

"We never like to see players leave the program, however, Evan, Colton and Carlton have made the decision to transfer and continue their careers elsewhere," said Beilein. "All three are fine young men with bright futures. We wish them and their families nothing but success going forward."

There should be more information regarding their departure and future plans soon, but as it stands, the Wolverines just took a significant hit.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.