Michigan Basketball: National Media Outlets Pick Michigan For Final Four
With March Madness in full swing, national media outlets are talking about this year's bracket and making their picks.
We gathered what several places are saying about Michigan, including some that have U-M making it to the Final Four.
ESPN
• Both ESPN's Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg selected Michigan to reach the Final Four. Neither have the Maize and Blue winning it all, however, as both pick Michigan State to do that. They each picked Virginia and Villanova to round out their Final Fours, with Virginia beating Michigan is both brackets.
CBS
• CBS Sports ranked Michigan No. 11 in its NCAA Tournament Power Rankings. Here's what was said about the Wolverines.
"[The] Wolverines might be a chic Final Four pick because of the way they ran through the Big Ten tourney. This team is fun because of an ironic reason: It's the best defensive team John Beilein's ever had at a high-major program."
• CBS also says Montana, Michigan's first-round opponent, is a potential Cinderella to watch.
"A true Cinderella is a 14 or 15 that basically know one you know in real life actually picks. Total shock factor. Montana is the team with that potential. Everyone is hot on Michigan. The Wolverines are a true 3 seed. They've earned it. They also don't play until about 9:50 ET on Thursday night. Long layoff for John Beilein's team. Montana has only dropped two games since Christmas, and it's a pretty stingy team in the paint. Plus, Michigan is a bad free throw shooting team (65.7 percent). The chance is there.
A win over Michigan and then a potential game against Houston? The Cougars are a solid No. 6, but that's a good opportunity for the Grizzlies to get a close game. This is the true dark horse Cinderella team in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Ahmaad Rorie is the name to know."
Sporting News
• Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy picks Michigan to reach the National Championship Game and lose to Villanova. He has the Wolverines beating Arizona, and Villanova beating Duke to reach to title game.
NBC
• NBC Sports ranked Michigan No. 13 in its NCAA Tournament Power Rankings. Here's what they said about the Wolverines.
"The Wolverines were the hottest team in the country a week ago, as they ran through the Big Ten tournament. But did they run through the Big Ten tournament because they were that good or because the Big Ten wasn’t? The other problem? I don’t like the matchups they have in the Sweet 16 (UNC) or the Elite 8 (Xavier)."
• In NBC's bracket breakdown, this is what they had to say about Michigan.
"Watching No. 3 seed Michigan will be fascinating since they had the long layoff after the Big Ten Tournament victory. The Wolverines looked like one of the hottest teams in the country when they last played but will they have any rust when they face No. 14 seed Montana?
If Michigan wins, they could face an underrated No. 6 seed in Houston. Or we might get the Steve Fisher Bowl with a Michigan matchup against No. 11 seed San Diego State. Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher was the assistant coach largely responsible for recruiting the Fab Five, so that could be a fun subplot to watch.
Michigan re-gaining its late-season form means they could be a darkhorse Final Four team. But you also can’t count out North Carolina after back-to-back Final Four runs."
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