ESPN just gave Michigan fans reason to believe this team can still win it all

Although the Michigan Wolverines did not end up winning the Big Ten Tournament, they still captured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Midwest Region will run through them, but the Wolverines' third loss of the season has some fans wondering if this group is strong enough to run the gauntlet. While they must be thankful to not have Duke's region, let's see how the latest title odds shook out.

According to ESPN Analytics, here are the five teams with the best shot of winning March Madness.

• Duke Blue Devils: 23 percent
• Michigan Wolverines: 16 percent
• Arizona Wildcats: 14 percent
• Houston Cougars: 9 percent
• Florida Gators: 7 percent

And if you need a visual representation of that, ESPN Insights has you covered with this cool graphic!

As you can see, Michigan has the second best chance of winning March Madness at 16 percent. The Wolverines only trail top-seeded Duke, who has a 23-percent chance of winning the whole thing. Arizona comes in at 14 percent, Houston comes in at nine percent as a No. 2 seed, and defending national champion Florida has the worst odds of doing so as a No. 1 seed at only seven percent here.

Let's now take a look at Michigan's NCAA Tournament path and see if a 16-percent shot is justified.

Michigan Wolverines have the second best odds to win March Madness

As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, Michigan will take on the winner of the UMBC and Howard First Four game as their No. 16-seeded opponent. From there, Michigan would face either No. 8 Georgia or No. 9 Saint Louis in the Round of 32. Their Sweet 16 opponent could be No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 12 Akron, or No. 13 Hofstra. They can play one of eight teams in the Elite Eight.

So while teams like Alabama, Texas Tech, Georgia, or Saint Louis could be feisty, Michigan feels like a team that will be playing into the second weekend of the tournament. Teams on the other side of the Midwest Region to watch out for in a potential Elite Eight matchup include No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Virginia, No. 6 Tennessse, and No. 7 Kentucky. No. 10 Santa Clara could be a tricky opponent as well...

Overall, Michigan has one of the two easier regions to come out of, with the other one being the South running through Florida. The East running through Duke is unforgiving, while the West running through Arizona has the potential for upsets galore. As long as Michigan plays with great physicality on defense, the Wolverines will be able to cake walk to the Sweet 16 before even breaking a sweat.

Right now, Michigan has to take advantage of having a relatively easy region to navigate this March.