Entering the second to last weekend of the men’s college basketball regular season, many teams are jockeying for position in the standings. A late-season win or loss could be the difference between playing in March Madness or watching the games at home. One team from the BIG Ten is in danger of missing the dance. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Michigan Wolverines have landed in the “next four out” grouping.
Walking out of here with the win! ✅
DM: 16P/4R/2A/5S
KB: 14P/2R/3A/3S
HD: 13P/11R〽️🏀 | #ForCompetitorsOnly#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/DWsARMy8vt
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 24, 2023
ESPN Has Michigan Among Next Four Out
Lunardi, ESPN’s Bracketology expert, has the Wolverines as the seventh team out of the field in his latest projections on February 24. Michigan has been a postseason staple over the last decade, making 10 of the 11 NCAA Tournaments. Head coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines are in danger of missing its first NCAA Tournament since 2014-2015.
Heading into the weekend, the Wolverines are 16-12 and tied for third in the Big Ten with a 10-7 conference record.
Michigan is a classic case of “what could’ve been” as the Wolverines have close losses to Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, and Wisconsin. If two of those losses changed to wins, Michigan makes the tournament as an at-large.
The Wolverines have three Quad 1 wins and five Quad 2 wins, but the Quad 4 loss to Central Michigan weakens their resume.
Michigan Must Run The Table To End The Season
The Wolverines saved their season on February 23 with a monster road win at Rutgers 58-45.
Now, Michigan will have to run the table to end the season to secure an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
To close the regular season, Michigan plays Wisconsin at home in a must-win on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines then finish with Illinois and Indiana, both on the road.
The magic number to get to is 19. Between the end of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament, if the Wolverines can get to 19 wins, there’s a slim chance an at-large berth is still in play. At 20 wins, Michigan dramatically improves its chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
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