With road wins over Rutgers and Purdue last week, the Michigan Wolverines' basketball team is firmly off the NCAA Tournament bubble and continues to improve its postseason seeding by the week.
U-M has won five games in a row and seven of its past eight, and is widely viewed as one of the hottest teams in America as the college basketball regular-season winds down.
• Eamonn Brennan, The Athletic: Bubble Watch: Want Weird? Take a Close Look at Arizona's Resume
Brennan has upgraded Michigan from a team who "should be in" the NCAA Tournament last week to a club who is now a "lock."
"Two more Big Ten locks? And on the same day? What foul sorcery is this?! It’s the kind of foul sorcery that congratulates Michigan and Ohio State together, as a pair, skipping off into lockdom hand in hand. (We assume fans of both schools enjoyed that image. You’re welcome.)
"For Michigan, Saturday’s win at Purdue was its fifth straight and seventh in eight games, a hugely impressive February (and late January) run that has buttressed a team sheet that already had nonconference wins over Gonzaga and Creighton to fall back on. Ohio State, meanwhile, upset Maryland, the Big Ten’s best, steadiest and most unflappable team, in a high-quality performance that made OSU’s always-impressive efficiency numbers look much more on target than they once did.
"Both teams suffered swoons in the middle of season, of varying severity. Both have put together quality wins before and since. Both are going dancing. Michigan and Ohio State: They have more in common than you think."
• John Gasaway, ESPN: NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Updated Look at the Wildest Bubble in Years
Gasaway pegged Michigan as one of five Big Ten teams who "should be in" the NCAA Tournament, along with Illinois, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin.
"Michigan built its five-game win streak on defense, shot volume and luck, more or less in that order. The Wolverines' opponents have converted fewer than 43% of their 2s during this run, and [senior center] Jon Teske recorded seven blocks in just 51 minutes in wins against Indiana and Rutgers.
"When UM hasn't been forcing misses inside the arc of late, it has been taking outlandishly good care of the ball. Juwan Howard's men committed just three turnovers in 67 possessions in the eight-point win at Purdue, and this offense's shot volume over the past five games has been peaking.
"Plus, opponents have hit just 23% of their 3s in recording their five losses. Add it all up, and Michigan has risen to a projected No. 5 seed."
• Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Bracketology
Palm is projecting Michigan as a 5-seed in the West region and taking on 12-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the first round. Gonzaga is the 1-seed, and a potential rematch with 4-seeded Oregon awaits in the second round if both the Wolverines and Ducks win their opening game.
• Dave Ommen, NBC Sports: Bracketology: Kansas Grabs No. 1 Overall Seed
Ommen has vaulted Michigan all the way up to a 4-seed in the Midwest region, and has it opening up against 13-seeded Akron in Sacramento. Kansas is the 1-seed of the region and Duke is the 2-seed.
• Anthony Broome, Maize N Brew: Recap, Takeaways From Michigan Basketball's Road Victory at Purdue
"All of the sudden, this looks like a basketball team that has a real shot at grabbing as high as a four seed in the NCAA Tournament after their postseason hopes were looking slim a few short weeks ago.
"They have a chance to pad the resume with home games against Wisconsin and Nebraska coming up and if they could find a way to split the road games at Ohio State and Maryland, it seems like they could bottom out around a six or seven-seed if they take care of business."
• Chris Peterson, GBMWolverine: Michigan Basketball: 3 Takeaways From Wolverines win at Purdue
"Forget the bubble, Michigan is pushing for a 5 seed or better.
"It’s hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago, Michigan’s NCAA tournament hopes were sincerely in doubt. But when you win six of seven games and with four of those wins coming against NCAA tournament teams, it doesn’t take long to move up the seeding chart.
"During the game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said Michigan was moving towards a five seed with a win over Purdue and with games looming against Ohio State, Maryland and Wisconsin, plus the Big Ten tournament, a five or even a four seed is well within reach.
"At this point, there is ZERO doubt though that Michigan basketball is going back to the big dance."
"At the turn of the month, Michigan’s NCAA Tournament fate was far from certain. The Wolverines had just lost to Ohio State in a back-and-forth affair, and were sitting at 14-9 for the year and just 5-7 in Big Ten play.
"[Head coach] Juwan Howard’s side was a long way from being ranked again the AP Poll, and was rapidly sliding toward the NCAA Tournament bubble in the process. Since then, Michigan has strung together its best five-game stretch of the season and is on an upward trajectory.
"First, the Wolverines knocked off then-No. 24 Michigan State and dismantled Northwestern in Evanston a few days later. They followed that up with three of their most impressive victories of the campaign, dominating Indiana at home before knocking off Rutgers and Purdue on the road in the span of four days.
"Michigan held wire-to-wire leads in both wins and the victory over Rutgers was even more impressive considering the Wolverines were without [junior forward] Isaiah Livers at the RAC. If Michigan can navigate through its last four games, its outlook for a deep Big Ten Tournament run looks a whole lot brighter."
• Thomas Beindit, BT Powerhouse: Week 16 19-'20 Big Ten Power Rankings — Michigan Rises
"Michigan is arguably the hottest team in the Big Ten right now, having won five in a row and seven of the team’s last eight games. And undoubtedly, the return of Isaiah Livers from injury has played a key part in Michigan’s resurgence.
"Michigan now sits in a really intriguing position moving forward. This is a team that’s probably a game or two away from locking up an NCAA bid, but has the chance to improve its position considerably if it can continue performing at this level. For perspective on how well Michigan’s been playing lately, look no further than the advanced numbers.
"Since losing to Ohio State in early February, Michigan’s been playing at an absurd level. In fact, TRank has Michigan as the nation’s most efficient team from February 5th through present. So yeah, anything is possible if the Wolverines are playing at that level moving forward.
"Moving forward, Michigan will have two intriguing games on the docket with Wisconsin at home on Thursday and Ohio State on the road on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the Wolverines can keep up that level of play."
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