There are two days left in the month of February before we get to March. That means we have conference tournaments and March Madness right on the horizon. This is truly one of the best times of the year for college sports fans. It has a chance to be particularly special if you're a fan of the Wolverines. There are three things in particular that I think all Michigan basketball fans should be looking forward to.
1. Big Ten Stretch Run
The Big Ten conference is not for the faint of heart during basketball season. This conference is absolutely loaded from top to bottom. Michigan has three conference games left that include at #10 Illinois, at a dangerous Iowa team, and home against #13 Michigan State. The Wolverines are one win away from clinching an outright conference championship, but none of these three games is going to come easy. Illinois has enjoyed recent success over the Wolverines, winning nine games in a row in the series. The State Farm center is not an easy place to play for a visiting team, and you know it will be rocking on Friday night when Michigan comes to town. The next game could be looked at as a trap game as the Wolverines travel to Iowa City to take on a Hawkeyes team that just beat Ohio State by 17. Bennett Stirtz is as dangerous an offensive player as there is, so Michigan basketball must come in with the right mindset to get the road victory.
That leaves us with the season finale at Crisler Center vs the Michigan State Spartans. This has always been a fierce rivalry but it seems to have ticked up a notch recently as Dusty May and Tom Izzo don't seem like they will be sending each other Christmas cards to each other any time soon. There is potential for this game to mean very little in terms of standings, but it has the chance to mean a whole lot in terms of momentum and bragging rights. Dusty May has put a stranglehold on the Big Ten since taking over last year. The Wolverines won the conference tournament in his first year and look to win the regular season title in his second year. That has not sat well with Tom Izzo, who seems to refuse to give Michigan or Dusty the credit they deserve. This game will be intense, hard-fought, and should set the tone for both teams heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
2. How Does Michigan Respond to Adversity
With the Big Ten being so deep and so talented, Michigan is sure to meet some type of adversity throughout the tournament. It will be a good thing for the team in the long run to prepare them for the later rounds in the NCAA tournament. One of these tests came last weekend against Duke. Michigan didn't necessarily handle adversity poorly, but they have to figure out a way to win games when the outside shots aren't falling. Michigan is 26-2, so dealing with adversity hasn't always been something that has been there during the season. Dusty May will be faced with situations during the Big Ten Tournament where he needs to adjust, and I believe he will.
3. Bracket Reveal
This one is obvious, but the sheer excitement of Selection Sunday is unparalleled. It is appointment television every single year, and I'm already looking forward to this year's show. It looks like almost a certainty that Michigan will receive a one seed, but which of the four number one seeds is the question. We will all be filling out our brackets predicting who Michigan will play in the round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and hopefully the National Championship. Michigan has a lot of tough tests ahead of them and I can't wait to see how it finishes the season. March is almost here... life is good.