3 Thoughts on Michigan Basketball’s NCAA Tournament draw

Can Wolverines reach another Sweet 16?

After watching Michigan basketball alternate wins and losses over the past few weeks, it might be hard to believe that the Wolverines could make a fifth consecutive Sweet 16.

One of their trips was as a 10 seed. Michigan is an 11 seed which means this will be the toughest first-round matchup since a loss to Notre Dame in 2016. That was after a first-four game.

It will require a couple of upsets but getting out of the Big Ten is going to be good for Michigan. Hunter Dickinson can be an outlier and DeVante Jones has been really good outside of the second half against Indiana and that collapse was a team effort.

Michigan is also battle-tested. It has beaten teams seeded higher than third in the field and the Wolverines are more than capable of getting to the second weekend.

What’s been missing all season is consistency. Michigan lost three games it led by double-digits and when the offense isn’t running through Dickinson in the post or Jones with the ball screens, Michigan struggles to score.

But when the Wolverines are clicking they can beat just about any team in this field or at least make it close. If Tennessee is waiting in the round of 32, it won’t be easy but as we have seen this season, Michigan basketball is capable. It just has to put it all together.

And now, it will have one final chance.