Fans react to Michigan receiving No. 5 seed in NCAA Tournament

After the Wolverines captured the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday, fans were shocked to see that Michigan received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Following Michigan's Big Ten Tournament Championship win over Wisconsin on Sunday, it seemed like a high probability that the Wolverines would receive a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament (at worst). But when the bracket was revealed on Sunday night, Michigan was sitting at a No. 5 seed - drawing plenty of criticism from the maize and blue faithful.

Michigan had the fourth-most Quad 1 wins in the country while Wisconsin went .500 in Quad 1 games. Michigan also beat Wisconsin twice head-to-head, once in Madison and again in the Big Ten tournament title game.

But Wisconsin is a No. 3 seed while Michigan is a No. 5 seed…? 🤔

— Brandon Koretz (@BrandonKoretz) March 16, 2025

Michigan has 2 wins against Wisconsin & 2 wins against Purdue.

Wisconsin is a 3-seed. Purdue is a 4-seed.

Michigan has 11 Quad 1 wins. Only 3 teams in America have more. They won the Big Ten. They have no bad losses.

Being a 5-seed in Denver is an absolute joke.

— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) March 16, 2025

By the way I I don’t care the committee was lazy and screwed us with that 5 seed. To be honest I wanted Duke or UF in the 1st round. That’s just how I’m wired as a Michigan Man. I want the best everytime I step on the court, field or boardroom. That’s the Michigan difference.

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) March 16, 2025

Lol, Michigan gets a 5-seed because the Committee phoned in the bracket before the Big Ten Championship finished.

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 16, 2025

Michigan as a 5 seed means yesterday and today did not matter

— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 16, 2025

Michigan just won the big ten tournament in the final game before this selection show. But they are a #5 seed and have to play Thursday? The NCAA is such a crock.

— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) March 16, 2025

Michigan is a 5 seed in Denver (Thursday) against UCSD.

You can't convince me the Big Ten Tournament matters to the committee.

— Dylan Burkhardt (@umhoops) March 16, 2025

Although the No. 5 seed is a bit puzzling, the reality is that it doesn't matter all that much at this point. In a field of 68 contenders, there's no such thing as an easy path to the championship in the NCAA Tournament.

The good news is that Michigan seems to have gotten back to its winning ways. After losing four of their last six to close out the regular season, the Wolverines have now won three consecutive games over No. 6 Purdue, No. 2 Maryland, and No. 5 Wisconsin. And while some of the issues that derailed Michigan during the regular season still persist, it looks like the Wolverines are figuring out how to minimize some of those issues entering the NCAA Tournament.

In order to make a deep run, Michigan still needs to improve in three critical areas: Guard play, 3-point shooting, and turnovers.

With the momentum of three big wins and a conference tournament championship now under their belt, Michigan is entering the tournament with plenty of confidence that it can make a serious run at the NCAA championship.

Michigan returns to the court on Thursday, March 20, for a matchup with No. 12 seed UC San Diego in Denver.

The Leaders and Best are heading West#GoBlue | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/YAGUb3nAwY

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 16, 2025

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