Michigan Basketball gets closer to double bye in Big Ten Tournament

Michigan basketball got an impressive win over Ohio State Sunday, but it wasn’t the only good news of the day for the Wolverines.

Things could not have gone much better for the Michigan basketball team on Sunday. First, the Wolverines beat Ohio State 74-62 on Senior Day, getting a win that should lock up a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Then another good thing happened to Michigan basketball Sunday, as Illinois gave the Wolverines life in the race for fourth in the Big Ten, thanks to a home win by the Fighting llini over Nebraska.

The loss keeps Michigan in the hunt for the fourth seed, which is also the last spot that gets the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. UM won four games, in four days, to win the tournament  last season, but doing that again might prove difficult.

That’s why finishing fourth or higher is so important. It gives you a bye right into the quarterfinals. Since Michigan basketball at 22-7 and 11-5 in the Big Ten, is solidly in the NCAA Tournament, getting a better seed for the Big Ten Tournament is the next order of business.

Due to Nebraska’s win over Michigan, the Huskers own the tiebreaker. They also held a one-game edge in the standings until the loss to Illinois. Now Michigan and Nebraska are both 11-5, with two games left to go. Simply put, Michigan needs a better record in those two games. Likely it will need two wins and a Nebraska loss at home, which is a bit of a long shot.

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The Huskers, who are also on the bubble, are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives. The loss to Illinois hurts badly, so they will be plenty motivated against Indiana and Penn State. Michigan, on the other hand, will play at Penn State, then at Maryland to finish the season.

Both games should prove difficult for Michigan. Penn State is still in the hunt at 9-6. The Nittany Lions are 19-9 overall and still in the hunt for an at-large berth. Wins over Michigan and Nebraska to close the season would be huge. Penn State also plays Purdue Sunday, which will be its seventh loss or biggest win.

Maryland has fallen off and is possibly headed for the NIT. Same with Indiana. But in the Big Ten, anything can happen. However, before the loss by Nebraska, Michigan looked in trouble in the race for the top four.

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If the Huskers had won, Michigan would have needed two road wins and two home losses by Nebraska to get the fourth seed. Now, it will take two wins from UM and one loss by NU. Still far from guaranteed, but the chance is much better than it was to start the day.