Michigan Basketball: Win over Texas beefs up NCAA Tournament resume

The Michigan basketball team went on the road and knocked off a quality opponent in Texas and in the process, the Wolverines improved their NCAA Tournament resume.

After losses to LSU and North Carolina in non-conference play, it appeared as though Michigan basketball might not find a way to secure a key victory outside of the Big Ten conference.

The Wolverines did knock off VCU in the Maui Invitational, but that was after a first-round loss to LSU. Both teams are solid, but not spectacular. VCU ranks 87th currently according to the Kenpom rankings, while LSU is No. 89.

North Carolina is a top-10 team in those same rankings, but they completely outclassed Michigan  in Chapel Hill. That left the Wolverines with games against UCLA and Texas to leave an impression from its non-conference schedule.

Any top-100 wins that you get are good. Those wins add to your resume. But if you can beat some teams ranked in the top 50, it adds a lot to your NCAA Tournament resume.

Last Saturday, Michigan basketball knocked off the UCLA Bruins, rallying from 15 down in the second half to get an overtime win. The Bruins are No. 46 according to Kenpom and that’s a win that will look good down the road.

However, the Wolverines were still missing one key element, a road win. The committee always gives weight to wins away from your building. So winning on the road and at neutral sites is important.

Michigan got a neutral court win over VCU, which helps, but it pales in comparison to the huge road victory UM notched Tuesday night over Texas. The Wolverines beat Texas 53-50 in 2016 and that was one of the wins that was viewed as a quality win on last season’s NCAA resume.

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That win a year ago was at home. Tuesday’s win came on the road, against a two-loss Texas team that should only get better with Mohamed Bamba. Thanks to an impressive defensive effort, the Wolverines notched a 59-52 win.

UM held Texas to 36 percent shooting from the field. Bamba got 10 points and 10 rebounds, but was just 4-of-10 from the field. It was an impressive night for Moe Wagner, who scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds. Foul trouble and an injury limited Wagner to 21 minutes. Yet, he made two 3-pointers in the second half that helped the Wolverines take control of the game.

With three non-conference games against Jacksonville, Detroit and Alabama A&M, the Wolverines are done with chances to impress the committee outside of Big Ten play. All three of those teams rank 293 or below and all have losing records.

Assuming three wins, Michigan basketball would bring a 12-3 record into the final 16 games in the Big Ten. If Michigan even goes 9-7, it would have a 21-10 record and some impressive wins. Even a .500 record could be enough to get UM in the field of 68, depending on who the Wolverines beat.

At this point in the season, Michigan has a 2-1 record against top-50 teams, as well as a 4-3 record against top-100 teams. The Wolverines have not lost at home and two losses were on the road, with only the game against North Carolina decided by double digits.

So as far as Michigan is concerned, it did what it needed it non-conference play. The Wolverines got some solid wins and if

the NCAA Tournament started today, they would definitely be in the field.

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Now, Michigan just needs to focus on having a winning season in the Big Ten, because if the Wolverines do that, they will be dancing in March for the third straight season.