Consecutive losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State have dropped the Michigan Wolverines basketball's postseason seed projections a bit, though the Maize and Blue are still seen as a squad firmly in the NCAA Tournament field.
Here's a closer look at what's being said about the Wolverines and their seeding in the Big Dance as the final week of the college basketball regular-season officially gets underway.
"A week ago, Michigan basketball was one of the hottest teams in the nation, carrying a five-game winning streak and rising up NCAA tournament projections.
"Now, the Wolverines will enter the final week of the regular season with a two-game losing streak. And while it appeared to be pushing for a top-5 seed just one week ago, now U-M might be moving down a seed line (or two).
"The Wolverines are down a couple spots to No. 22 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). They still have seven Quad 1 wins (a win at home against an opponent ranked No. 1-30 by the NET; at a neutral site against an opponent ranked No. 1-50; or on the road against an opponent ranked No. 1-75).
"But they missed on two chances to add to that total, with a home loss to Wisconsin on Thursday and a road loss at Ohio State on Sunday.
"At this point, Michigan is safely in the tournament. But the past two games might've hurt its chances at nabbing a higher seed."
The duo tabbed Michigan as one of three Big Ten teams who should be "comfortable, but not relaxing" when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, alongside Wisconsin and Illinois.
They also added that U-M is "as close to a lock status as a team can get."
"Michigan remains a win away from lock status for us after losing to Wisconsin and at Ohio State this week; simply avoid a bad loss to Nebraska on Thursday, and the Wolverines should be golden," Root wrote.
"Michigan, as of Sunday, was listed as a 6 seed on the Bracket Matrix composite. Given the two straight losses, that number is trending in the wrong direction. Either way, the Wolverines are likely looking at a near toss-up in their NCAA Tournament opener and, should they advance, a winnable game in Round Two.
"The margin between a one-and-done showing and booking a flight to a regional host is slim.
"The consensus after the Ohio State game was that the defense was fine overall but poor in stretches. The last two games in particular, Michigan has let the opponent get too comfortable in the first several minutes.
"Turnarounds are tighter in tournament time. The Wolverines, in recent years, have shown a propensity to digest scouting reports and execute. Michigan's seniors are a remarkable 30-5 on neutral courts.
"But when Michigan has lost this season, the blame often falls on communication. The players didn't talk enough defensively: switches were sloppy; close-outs were too slow.
"For much of the season, [head coach Juwan] Howard -- and any coach -- can fairly say there is time to clean up problem areas. Not in March.
"It's not quite right to say time is running out for Michigan. This team has operated at a high level for stretches of the season. Maybe it will again this week, against Nebraska at home on Thursday and at Maryland on Sunday."
"Joe Lunardi of ESPN dropped his bracket Monday morning and he placed Michigan as a six seed. Jerry Palm of CBS, who for the most part has projected Michigan basketball a little higher than Lunardi, projected the Wolverines as a seven seed in his latest bracket.
"It’s not the end of the world, but just last week, Michigan seemed to be pushing towards that 4-5 seeding line with the Big Ten tournament approaching and now the Wolverines seem closer to being an eight seed than a five.
"Thursday’s home finale against Nebraska will be huge. Michigan has a solid resume and with all the quality wins, a loss shouldn’t be enough to knock Michigan from the bracket, but the Wolverines don’t even want that conversation starting.
"They also could really use a win or two before the start of the NCAA tournament to help keep them in that 6-7 range at least. Michigan will get a chance to score another very impressive win at Maryland next weekend, which could help move U-M up again.
"Either way, the Wolverines cannot go into the postseason on a four-game losing streak so getting at least one win is essential and avoiding a bad loss to Nebraska will be even more important."
Fagan projects Michigan as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, along with BYU, Colorado and Wisconsin.
"The first double-digit loss teams arrive on the 6-seed line, and they took very different roads to arrive here," he wrote. "Michigan had won seven of eight, but has dropped two in a row.
"Wisconsin had lost four of six, but is currently riding a six-game winning streak. You just don’t know how a season will play out, which is why it’s silly to project NCAA Tournament brackets in December and January (though, I admit, it’s fun and I’ve done it for years)."
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