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John Beilein: ‘Right now, Mitch [McGary] cannot go 100 percent

Houston Baptist v Michigan

ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 07: Mitch McGary #4 of the University of Michigan Wolverines drives the ball up the court during the second half of the game against Houston Baptist Huskies at the Crisler Center on December 7, 2013 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Houston 107-53. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Leon Halip

Michigan State isn’t the only team in the state that’s currently banged up.

Michigan is as well.

Star center Mitch McGary is not yet healthy, according to John Beilein. He missed the entire preseason and the first two games of the season a back injury. He’s had a thigh contusion. He’s tweaked his ankle a couple of times.

That’s a problem. McGary is an energy guy, and this little bumps and bruises are keeping him from getting into good enough shape to be effective.

“He’s a hight motor guy, an energy guy, but when your body cannot do that, for a variety of reasons, it’s going to hold him back,” Beilein said Thursday on “The Michigan Insider” show on WTKA-AM. “So we’ve got to keep working and working and working to get him healthy and get him in superior shape.”

McGary had just eight boards and four boards as Arizona pounded Michigan in the paint in their comeback win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor last weekend.

“Right now, Mitch cannot go 100 percent,” Beilein said. “He can’t do what he can, and it’s for a lot of different reasons.”

Beilein said he’s working to get back to that level. “Part of it is obviously cardio training and part of it is weight training. Part of it is rest. Part of it is treatment. Believe me, every hour that he has that does not involve final exams, final papers, is involved in trying to get him back to a level that he can perform at his best.”

Michigan plays Stanford at the Barclays Center on Saturday.