Michigan Basketball has a very strong chance of being in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season. Here are where the Wolverines currently sit in different bracket predictions:
The Michigan Wolverines have blazed to a 14-4 start, far surpassing expectations for first-year head coach Dusty May, who quickly built a competitive roster and got the program back into the national landscape. Past the midway point, anything less than an NCAA Tournament appearance would be devastating for the team.
An overtime win over Northwestern followed an overtime loss to Minnesota last week, but key losses across the AP top-25 kept the Wolverines ranked at No. 21 heading into a key contest this Friday with the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers. The game has massive implications for the regular season Big Ten title, as the Boilermakers sit a half-game above the Wolverines for second place in the conference. Michigan State’s 7-0 record has the Spartans on top with 13 games to go in the regular season.
Because of the Wolverines’ resume, the ideology behind their seeding in most bracket projections is consensus.
- ESPN’s Joe Lunardi – East Region: No. 5 Michigan vs No. 12 George Mason
- On3’s James Fletcher – East Region: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 Princeton
- CBS Sport’s Jerry Palm – West Region: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 McNeese
- Fox Sport’s Mike Decourcy – Midwest Region: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 McNeese
- SBNation’s Chris Dobbertan – East Region: No. 5 Michigan vs No. 12 Bradley
Most have a majority of Big Ten teams in the field of play: Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Oregon appear to have the best chances. Then comes a slew of bubble teams like UCLA, Maryland, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State. Most predictions have around 10 Big Ten programs in the bracket, trailing only the SEC for the most potential bids here in late January.
Unfortunately, Michigan has quite a few of those programs in its way still, including Purdue and Michigan State who it will see twice. Matchups with Penn State, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois and Maryland await. In fact, ESPN’s BPI says the Wolverines have the No. 16 remaining strength of schedule in the country. Only Indiana has a tougher Big Ten schedule left.
Essentially, NCAA Tournament basketball begins on Friday for the Wolverines through the rest of the season based on their competition. The road won’t be easy, as almost every team in the conference is fighting for the regular season championship or their postseason lives.
Meanwhile, the metrics love the Wolverines. Here is how they rank among the leading indicators across college basketball:
- NET Rankings: No. 12 (No. 3 in the Big Ten)
- KenPom: No. 11 (No. 3 in the Big Ten)
- ESPN’s BPI: No. 20 (No. 4 in the Big Ten)
- EvanMiya: No. 12 (No. 2 in the Big Ten)
Based on these collective ideologies, the Wolverines have a shot at increasing their positioning down the stretch if they play well. KenPom ranks them as the No. 14 offense and No. 25 defense in the country, while EvanMiya has them at No. 16 and No. 20.
A win over Purdue on Friday night could do wonders in all categories. The committee and metrics love when a team goes on the road and beats a ranked opponent.