Michigan Basketball still a six seed in ESPN bracketology for 2020-21

Throughout the offseason, Michigan basketball has held steady as a six seed in ESPN’s bracketology and that was the case again Wednesday.

The 2021 NCAA basketball tournament is a long way away, but right now, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi expects Michigan basketball to be solidly in the field next March.

Lunardi who is considered to be the top bracketology expert, has released projections now in late April, May and now June. In all of those projections, Michigan basketball has made the field as a No. 6 seed and Lunardi listed the Wolverines as a six seed again in his latest bracket.

Michigan would play the winner of Seton Hall and Syracuse, two teams that would meet in a play-in game in Lunardi’s bracket.

While it’s not a huge shock that Michigan is expected to be an NCAA tournament team, after all the Wolverines would have made it this year if March Madness hadn’t been canceled, it’s somewhat interesting to note the consistent seeding despite all the player changes.

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In the first projection, Michigan was expected to land Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd, giving the Wolverines one of the best incoming class in the country. Maybe Lunardi wasn’t going to buy that until it actually happened.

Regardless, the Wolverines are still seeded sixth even though Christopher and Todd chose to play elsewhere next season — Christopher at Arizona State and Todd in the G-League. Part of the reason for that could be the addition of Chaundee Brown, who seems more likely to get a waiver to play next season than fellow transfer Nojel Eastern.

Brown isn’t Christopher, but considering all the options at the late stage when Michigan was able to get him, he’s probably the next best thing. Brown averaged in double figures the past two seasons at Wake Forest and has consistently shot around 32 percent for his career from beyond the arc.

It remains to be seen how much Brown can fill the scoring role Christopher was set to play, but Franz Wagner coming back should help offset that too and possibly Isaiah Livers, if he returns for his senior season instead of going pro.

Those additions, along with Hunter Dickinson, Terrance Williams and Zeb Jackson, three freshmen with a very real chance to be solid contributors next season and it’s easy to see why experts like Lunardi have the same feelings about the Wolverines as they did before.

If Brown is in the lineup especially and able to play next season, the Wolverines will have one of the best teams in the Big Ten, no doubt about it and their seeding by Lunardi reflects that.