Michigan women's basketball wins again, remains on NCAA tournament bubble
Michigan women's basketball added another win on Saturday to keep hold on their place in the NCAA tournament but a berth isn't guaranteed.
If the season ended today, the Michigan women's basketball team would likely make the NCAA tournament. However, the Wolverines couldn't afford a loss on Saturday to Northwestern if they were going to make the field and played like it.
Northwestern is one of the worst teams in the Big Ten and even though the game was on the road, a win wasn't going to help Michigan women's basketball, but a loss could have burst their bubble because it would have been a truly bad loss.
Yet, thanks to 30 points in the third quarter, as well as a near triple-double for Laila Phelia, the Wolverines notched an important 74-60 win. Phelia was stellar for U-M, scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Lauren Hansen pitched in with a team-high 18, while Elissa Brett had 15.
Michigan women's basketball scored the first 17 points of the third quarter, which allowed them to cruise to a double-digit win. The win probably won't help Michigan's case greatly in terms of bracketology, but it avoided a really bad loss.
In the most recent bracket projection released on Friday, Michigan women's basketball was among the four teams projected to have a first-round bye. That means that the Wolverines are the seventh-last team in the field according to ESPN.
U-M is 17-11 on the season and 8-8 in Big Ten play. They travel to Ohio State this week before hosting Purdue next Sunday. A win over the Buckeyes, a top-5 team would clinch a berth, but if the Wolverines win at least one game next week, they should be dancing once again.