3 Thoughts on Michigan Basketball’s NCAA Tournament draw

Winnable first-round game

Colorado State is no slouch. The Rams aren’t a Power-5 program but the Mountain West is a really solid league and got three teams into the field.

The Rams were one of those teams and during conference play, they went 3-2 against NCAA Tournament teams. They shoot the ball really well and like to play at a slower pace, even slower than Michigan which is 218th in adjusted tempo according to Kenpom, while Colorado State is 264.

Colorado State is a really good offensive team, one that ranks 31st overall in the Kenpom rankings, two spots ahead of the Wolverines. Both offenses rank in the top 20 in adjusted efficiency. Michigan basketball is 33rd overall.

But the one big disadvantage for the Rams is that they have two guys set to defend Hunter Dickinson that stand 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10. CSU ranks 230th in 2-point defense and the Rams aren’t going to be able to play Hunter one-on-one.

Plus, the game is in Indianapolis, so it could be an upset special for the Wolverines.