Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from No. 2 out West for Wolverines

Michigan basketball got a two seed from the NCAA selection committee and will be part of the West Region again. Here are three takeaways.

It seemed like no matter what happened in the Big Ten championship game, the Michigan basketball team was destined to be the No. 2 seed out west.

And even though the Wolverines have to be disappointed with the third straight loss to Michigan State, their spot in the field of 68 seems like a relatively good one with Gonzaga as the top seed. Texas Tech and Florida State are the three and four seeds.

In a lot of ways, this bracket feels very similar to the one that Michigan basketball won last season in order to reach the Final Four. Gonzaga was the top seed of the West region but the Wolverines never played them. Instead, UM beat Texas A&M and Florida State in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 to advance to the Final Four.

Ultimately, the run ended with a loss in the national championship game to Villanova, but after a 28-6 record, Michigan basketball seems to have all the ingredients for another deep run, although knocking off teams like Texas Tech, Gonzaga or even Florida State won’t be easy.

The opening game for Michigan won’t be easy either as the Wolverines will take on Montana for the second straight year in a rare opening-round rematch.

As much as long the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles sting, a new mission starts Thursday and here are three takeaways from the Wolverines spot in the West region.