Discussing Michigan Basketball's NCAA Tournament Chances

Michigan basketball is currently 16-12 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten. Neither mark is overly impressive, but U-M is playing better down the stretch and piling up quad 1 wins. The Wolverines now have four with a chance to add two more to close out the regular season.

ESPN recently put out an article that placed every team in the country in a category in reference to their chances of making the tourney. In the Big Ten, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State and Iowa are considered locks, while Michigan State is in the "Should Be In" column. Michigan finds itself in the "Work To Do" category along with Indiana and Rutgers. Everyone else is out. Although the recent win over Michigan State certainly helped U-M, a couple more nice wins would go a long way.

It's possible that Hunter Dickinson had a point to make after being limited to 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting in his previous outing against Illinois. The sophomore put together one of the best games by any player in the Big Ten this season, with 33 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in Michigan's 17-point win at home over Michigan State. Shown on the No. 11 line before the game but carrying the metrics of a higher seed, the Wolverines are coming up fast on "Should be in" status.

Michigan beat Iowa by four in Iowa City two weeks ago so they'll be confident tonight in Ann Arbor as a 2.5-point favorite. The Wolverines will then finish the regular season in Columbus on Sunday, giving U-M an opportunity to add two more resumé-building wins. If Michigan wins both, their NCAA Tournament ticket will be punched for sure. If they split, one or two more wins in the Big Ten Tournament would probably do the trick. And if they go 0-2 to close out the regular season, a deep run in the conference tourney might be needed to get back in the good graces of the selection committee.

Giddy up.

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