Michigan basketball was dealt a disrespectful blow when the NCAA Tournament committee ranked them as a five seed, despite winning the Big Ten Tournament, finishing tied for second place in the Big Ten during the regular season, and beating three of the Big Ten teams seeded above them. On top of that, the Wolverines draw UCSD, which is viewed as one of the best 12 seeds in NCAA Tournament history.
Many are writing off the Wolverines, but I'm here to tell you that now is absolutely not the time to do so. Here are three reasons to be optimistic about the Wolveriners in March Madness.
1. The disrespect factor
Michigan basketball played so well during the Big Ten tournament partially because of the disrespect they had been facing after losing the final three games of the regular season. They had plenty of fuel, which helped them win the tournament. Now, the Wolverines have yet again been disrespected, and you can bet they're going to be motivated to prove people wrong.
The Wolverines were put in arguably the toughest position of the entire tournament, being on the same side of the bracket as a 12-seed ranked 36th according to Kenpom, and two AP top 10 teams, No. 1 seed Auburn and No. 8 seed Louisville. How Louisville is an 8 seed is beyond me, but the NCAA wants to see Michigan fail.
I'm expecting this team to come out with a fire lit under them. And if that's the case, I'm not sure how many teams can beat them.
2. They're peaking at the right time
March Madness is all about who's hot at the right time. Michigan is red hot. Coming off of an ice-cold stretch, Michigan basketball beat three ranked opponents in three days, all of which are seeded higher than them. While Michigan still hasn't returned to its early season 3-point numbers, it has greatly reduced its turnovers, made better passes, and are all around playing better basketball.
Obviously it's impossible to tell if they're going to stay hot, but the outlook is a lot better than it was before the Big Ten tournament. Tre Donaldson is finally playing as well as he was early in the season, and area 50-1 has found their swagger again. Add in a few role players like LJ Cason, Roddy Gayle, and Will Tschetter stepping up, and this team is hitting its stride at the right time.
It'll be fascinating to see if Michigan's able to stay hot heading into Thursday. If they are, this is a scary team.
3. Star Power
When it comes down to it, you need stars if you're going to make a run in March. And Michigan basketball has two of the biggest stars in Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin. Goldin has been on a tear, and it's never a bad idea to give him the ball and let him go to work. Even when teams have been double-teaming him, he's still able to score.
Add in a 7-foot point guard in Danny Wolf who can do everything, and Michigan has one of the best duos in the nation. When it comes down to it, how many teams are going to be able to guard a pick-and-roll that's being run by two seven-footers?
I still want to see Danny be more consistent throughout the entirety of the game, but Michigan has the stars to go a long ways. Add in that the Wolverines won't have to deal with terrible Big Ten officiating, and things look pretty favorable for the Wolverines.
Michigan has the potential to go far in March Madness. While they're definitely going to face plenty of challenges, they have what it takes to overcome them. While I'm not sure I would bet on it, it would not surprise me if this team made a final four run. Go blue!