Michigan Basketball: Wolverines fall slightly in latest bracketology
Michigan basketball is projected to make the NCAA Tournament in bracketology projections by ESPN and CBS. But despite its win streak, UM dropped in seeding.
Michigan basketball got back into Big Ten play Tuesday night with a win over Iowa. It was the Wolverines second road win of the season and one that could eventually help bolster their NCAA resume.
The Hawkeyes are a top-100 team according to Kenpom. However, according to the RPI, the Hawkeyes are the 169th best team in the country. That and a slew of wins over sub-150 teams, have dropped Michigan basketball in the most recent brackets released by both ESPN and CBS.
Michigan was recently listed as No. 8 seed in bracketology but now the Wolverines have dropped to a nine seed in the ESPN bracket and a 10 seed in the one put out by CBS expert Jerry Palm.
The Wolverines take on Illinois Saturday (Here’s what happened the last time they met).
It may seem strange for the Wolverines to drop, despite winning six consecutive games. But, it’s all because of a lack of quality wins recently. Michigan’s last three non-conference opponents, Detroit (272), Alabama A&M (327) and Jacksonville (330) were so weak, it actually dropped the Wolverines in the RPI.
Michigan Wolverines Basketball
Beating Iowa, which ranks 169 in the RPI, but 84 in the Kenpom rankings, also didn’t help. As a No. 9 seed, Michigan would play Florida in the ESPN projection. Palm’s bracket for CBS has the 10th-seeded Wolverines taking on Miami.
While the Wolverines drop isn’t ideal, it doesn’t mean much, other than the schedule has been easy lately. Yet, that’s going to change soon. The game against Illinois Saturday doesn’t add much to the strength of schedule, but the Fighting Illini are ranked 103 in the RPI.
That would be a solid win and it would certainly be a bad loss, something the Wolverines have avoided so far this season. Plus, after Illinois, the schedule gets tough.
Eight of the next nine games come against top-100 teams. Back-to-back games against Purdue and Michigan State also come right after Illinois, so the Wolverines could do a lot to improve their NCAA Tournament standing in the next week.
But first things first, Michigan basketball needs to take care of business Saturday. The Wolverines obviously want to make the NCAA Tournament and so far, they appear well on their way.
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Yet, to stay on track in that effort, Michigan needs a win over Illinois. Holding serve at home is also essential if the Big Ten tournament champs, want to try and make a run at a Big Ten title.