Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways for the Wolverines in the West Region
Michigan needs to be on upset alert
After winning the Big Ten Tournament championship, the Michigan basketball team has become one of the darlings of college hoops. The Wolverines are becoming a trendy Final Four pick and some even think they could make a run to win it all.
While that recognition is great, Michigan needs to stay grounded. Obviously, UM will be heavily favored against Montana, but the Griz are solid too. In fact, they are better than your average 14 seed.
"We're just happy, happy to finally see who we're playing and where we're going."
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) March 12, 2018
- @theprophet_5, to @Meesh_McMahon, on No. 3 seed @umichbball playing Montana pic.twitter.com/tDnswmMFq4
According to the KenPom rankings, which account for adjusted offense and defense, the Griz are the 71st team in the country. That puts them well ahead of the average 14 seed. In fact, the Griz rank higher than most 12 and 13 seeds. Providence, a 10 seed, is ranked No. 63, just eight spots ahead of Montana.
Montana has some individual talent and relies a lot on forcing turnovers, which is good news for Michigan basketball. But if you think this is going to be a walk in the park, you have another thing coming.