Last year, the Michigan Wolverines had eight wins and were last place in the Big Ten Conference. Now they are headed to Atlanta as part of the Sweet Sixteen.
After being down 10, Michigan basketball came back from that deficit to defeat Texas A&M. A team that was once the laughingstock of the Big Ten, is now even closer to winning the whole tournament. Their next test will be Auburn, and would it really be foolish to think that Michigan basketball couldn't muster another gritty win and move on to the Elite 8?
The Wolverines have all the pieces they need
The Michigan Wolverines have it all. They have a coach, that found recent success taking Florida Atlantic to the Final Four last season. Dusty May came to Ann Arbor and changed the culture within months. He helped the Wolverines become a team that you didn't have to watch behind two hands, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop.
They have two forces in their two seven-foot centers, Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf. Two centers that embody the true definition of the position. They have a guard in Tre Donaldson, that has ice water in his veins and continues to come up big, in crucial moments. It has been merely days since his full court drive to send Maryland home in the Big Ten Tournament. He also came up big in Michigan's win against UC San Diego with a crucial three in clutch moments for the Wolverines. And there is Roddy Gayle, who in the second half against Texas A&M, became what basketball analysts call "unconscious." He scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half, almost single-handily, erasing the 10-point deficit Michigan basketball faced.
The Wolverines have the components to win it all. They also have the heart. Ending the season with an embarrassing loss to Michigan State could have left them in a state of disarray. Their season ended with three straight losses and entering the Big Ten tournament, there were more questions than answers. But the Wolverines rebounded and won the Big Ten Tournament and mirrored the team they had been all season. They were a team that excelled in close games and a team that even when others doubted them; believed in themselves.
Auburn is a No. 1 seed. Throughout the college basketball season, the Tigers were ranked No. 1. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the Tigers won the championship. It will be a difficult test for the Wolverines. But if any team could overcome it, it would be the team from Ann Arbor.