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Michigan Basketball: What Didn’t The Committee Like About The Wolverines?

By Tyler Fenwick

Mar 12, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) kneels on the court at the conclusion of the Wolverines' game against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game at Verizon Center. The Wolverines won 71-56. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) kneels on the court at the conclusion of the Wolverines' game against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game at Verizon Center. The Wolverines won 71-56. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Even though it won its conference tournament, Michigan basketball will go into the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed. What didn’t the committee like?

If you listen to the college basketball talking heads, Michigan basketball is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. The Wolverines ripped off four wins in four days to win the Big Ten tournament as a No. 8 seed, and in the process they beat Purdue and Wisconsin for the second time each.

Related Story: Michigan deserves better than a No. 7 seed

Shortly after Michigan won its conference tournament, the NCAA tournament bracket was revealed, and it showed the Wolverines as a No. 7 seed.

Wait, what?

The team that just won the Big Ten tournament an hour earlier got a No. 7 seed? It’s not like there was much consistency in Big Ten seeding anyway. Wisconsin inexplicably is a No. 8 seed, while Michigan State ended up being a No. 9 seed. Is the committee trying to convince me there’s a one-seed difference between the Badgers and Spartans?

But back to Michigan. Clearly there was something the Wolverines did this season that the committee did not like. It had to be something to negate a conference tournament championship.

My best guess: road losses.

Michigan finished with a 3-8 record in true road games. It didn’t even win its first road game until Feb. 12 against Indiana. After that, the Wolverines beat Rutgers and Nebraska. Another way to look at this: Michigan’s only road wins came against RPI Nos. 79 (Indiana), 108 (Nebraska), and 172 (Rutgers).

If you peel back a couple layers, though, you can see another picture taking shape. Two of Michigan’s road losses (Iowa and Minnesota) went into overtime, and another (Northwestern) ended on one of the craziest plays of the college basketball season. The Wolverines were very close to being 6-5 on the road, and then I think it’s very likely they’re going into the tournament as a No. 5 or 6 seed.

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But even with Michigan’s road record that’s not going to impress anyone, there’s still the matter of being 6-0 on neutral courts this season.

The Wolverines went to New York City at the beginning of the season and won the 2K Classic, notching wins over AAC champion Southern Methodist (30-4) and Marquette (19-12). Then the Big Ten tournament happened, and Michigan continued its dominance on neutral courts, this time in Washington, D.C.

Aside from apparently not giving a lot of weight to what teams are catching stride at the right time (see Duke as another example of that), the committee made it clear that conference tournament championships are not a bonus and road records are more important than neutral court records.

Michigan’s draw could have been much worse. There are more dangerous No. 10 seeds out there than Oklahoma State, and Louisville isn’t the scariest No. 2 seed.

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Michigan as a No. 7 seed just doesn’t feel right, though. And if it is indeed because the committee didn’t like its 3-8 road record, I’m worried about where its priorities are.

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