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14 Thoughts About the NCAA Tournament's Opening Weekend

3/20/2018

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By: Alex Drain

1. Let’s start with Michigan and their wild weekend. The Montana game went much the way I expected, though I didn’t think it would be THAT ugly. But great defense is a big asset and the Grizzlies never had much of a chance with the way the Wolverines defended, no matter how well Montana defended or how cold Michigan was from the field. Overall, it was a good win even though it looked rough.


2. On the other hand, the Houston game was a bit different than I expected. What I thought would happen that did happen: Zavier Simpson shutdown Rob Gray. Gray is maybe the best individual scorer Michigan will see the rest of this tournament, a true alpha dog. And while Gray got 23 points, he did it on an ugly 8-22 shooting, and in my memory, the vast majority of those were when Simpson was not guarding him/was on the bench. It showed too, as by the second half, the Cougars were having a different player bring the ball up and running sets to try and force Simpson to switch off onto a player other than Gray. That’s how big of an impact defender Simpson has become. As for other things, Michigan’s defense as a whole held up well. What I did not expect was another ugly offensive performance. An inability to shoot the timely shot nearly doomed the Wolverines’ season.

3. But then Jordan Poole happened. After Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman’s brutal missed layup, it was hard to believe that the season was going to end in that fashion. Houston sent Devin Davis to the line, a 66.7% free throw shooter who was 9-10 at that point. Michigan had to pray for mean reversion, and it happened. After two misses and a timeout, Michigan had some life left. Even with a glimmer of hope, I was still pretty much resigned to what I thought was the end. It was a great season and it had come up short. But then I saw Houston wasn’t guarding the inbounder, Isaiah Livers. Sure enough they ran the same play as against Maryland, one I got to see up close. But unlike Maryland, Houston did guard it well, clogging center court and forcing Rahkman to pass it to Poole and then guarded him perfectly, 30 feet out with a hand in his face. And he still swished it. Maybe the best buzzer beater I’ve ever seen. Even with a sore throat from a cold, I screamed my lungs out. And every Michigan fan should’ve too.

4. Give credit to Houston though. That is one heck of a team, and Kelvin Sampson has rebuilt a long depleted ‘80s powerhouse, giving them their first tourney win since then and they were a miracle away from a Sweet 16. I think they’ll be back to this stage again in the near future. They are also, according to KenPom’s efficiency numbers, a top 20 team, more like a 4 seed masquerading as a 6, with a go-to scorer. Wins are not easy to come by against those types of teams. Survive and advance.

Other thoughts from the West Region
5. North Carolina had the one thing that couldn’t happen happen: a cold shooting day. The Tar Heels were in search of a third straight Final Four, which is really tough to do, and I thought they’d trip up at some point. Just not against Texas A&M. UNC entered the contest with the #34 defense and had been buoyed by their ability to score, sporting the #4 offense. But then the shooting went dry. Sure, the Aggies played good D, but there were a lot of open looks for Carolina. And shot after shot after shot wouldn’t fall. Brutal offense makes it so the dream of a repeat title ends and clears Michigan’s path.

6. People who were bearish on Xavier were correct in doing so. The Musketeers ran into a talented but not that great Florida State team and hit a wall. After commanding most of the game, it slipped away.  Suddenly, the Wolverines find themselves as the top seeded team left in the region.


The Wipeout in the South Region
7. Kentucky fans who spent a long time complaining about a brutal region suddenly have nothing to complain about now. A huge upset of Virginia (see below) meant that Kentucky’s path was a lot clearer, especially with Arizona losing to Buffalo. What looked to be the toughest section of the bracket is suddenly wide open. And even though Coach Cal’s Wildcats had a shaky weekend (they almost lost to Davidson), you have to think they’re the favorites going forward to come out of the South. But this region is just a mess and anything can happen.

8. The UMBC Retrievers. The greatest upset in college basketball history amazingly wasn’t even close. The perfect storm of Virginia kryptonite hit: good opposing three point shooting and a big deficit. The Cavaliers are college basketball’s least equipped top team to comeback from a big deficit and the game slipped away from UVA in a hurry. Another frustrating loss for Virginia, but you have to tip your caps to UMBC. The school that no one had ever heard of is this year’s Florida Gulf Coast. They were scrappy, had a killer Twitter account, hit huge shots, and somehow blew out college basketball’s consensus #1 team. Also, give a shoutout to WCBN Sports’ Lucas Vargas who gave reasons why all 68 teams could win the NCAA Tournament, and while the UMBC Retrievers won’t be winning it all, he wrote a section to remember there.


Thoughts out East
9. Unfortunately, things appear to be a cakewalk to San Antonio for Villanova. The Wildcats look like the sport’s best team to me, and they cruised through the opening weekend. Facing West Virginia and the winner of Texas Tech/Purdue, the road will be tougher but it’s hard to see Nova losing in the East Region right now. Yes, this is the sport of upsets, but in the present, I’m feeling mighty comfortable with my Villanova national championship pick.

10. Poor Purdue. Maybe the Boilermakers will rebound from the tragic injury of Isaac Haas, but it’s hard to see how. Already dealt a tough hand being in Villanova’s region, the loss of Haas for what appears to be the season is just devastating. Matt Haarms will probably be a Haas clone in a few years, but not right now. He’s the same height, but he is not even close to developed enough in the post to create the same offensive nightmare that Purdue was with Haas. The shooters for Purdue are still dangerous and I think they can probably make the Elite 8 without him, but boy, it just looks like an unfortunate injury might rob them of their chance at a national title.


Midwest
11. Kansas has quickly become the Nobody Believes In Us team. With Duke looking strong and Michigan State’s upset (see below), I’ve (wrongly) seen some pundits now penciling the Blue Devils in the Final Four. Is Duke the favorite here? I’d say so. But don’t write off Kansas. As a Bill Self critic, I rarely find myself making the case for the Jayhawks in March, but they’ve still got a shot here. After all, Duke was only 5-5 in Q1 games entering the tourney, showing an inconsistency to beat elite teams, and Kansas finally has Udoka Azubuike back from injury, along with an already existing alpha dog in Devonte’ Graham, making them an elite squad. Oh, and the game taking place in Omaha, Nebraska, with 3 other ACC teams as the remaining foes in the region, will make it basically a home game for Kansas. Don’t count out the Jayhawks.

12. Michigan State’s titanic upset at the hands of Syracuse was a shocker. I was a bit surprised at how many talking heads were taking Michigan State to win it all given their barren resume on the season, but I at least thought they’d make it out of the opening venue, especially with the game taking place in Detroit. And Syracuse cannot score at all. And they didn’t score much at all in the game. Or really do anything offensively. The Orange barely had a pulse on offense and somehow it was still more life than Michigan State, who was a ghastly 17/66 from the field and 8/37 from three. It’s almost unfathomable how bad the Spartans were shooting the ball. Some of it was Syracuse’s notorious 2-3 zone but some was just an inability to score or make plays. Thus it means the end of one of the most frustrating MSU seasons in recent memory. Yes, 2014 was rough, but this is worse. Two NBA lottery picks, a point guard shooting .514 from three, lots of depth with the bigs, and yet a third straight opening weekend exit. Why did Jaren Jackson Jr. only play 15 minutes in an NCAA Tournament game? Why did Ben Carter play 23 minutes in an NCAA Tournament game? The use of the rotation and minute allocation was baffling all season long, and it just feels like one of the greatest cases of talent underachieving in recent memory.


Moving Forward
13. Michigan is the highest seeded, and in my opinion, the best team left on the left side of the bracket. Now, that doesn’t really mean anything moving forward, as upsets can and will happen, especially with legitimate talent in both the South and West regions. That said, I like Michigan’s chances. Texas A&M is a much better matchup for the Wolverines than North Carolina and Gonzaga hasn’t really scared me. While the Zags sport a handsome KenPom rating, they played a very weak regular season schedule and then should’ve gotten upset by UNC Greensboro before nearly choking away a big lead over Ohio State. This West Region should be Michigan’s for the taking.

14. But, the Wolverines have to play better. Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman needs to show up and perform after two uncharacteristically bad showings in Wichita this past weekend. Same goes for Moe Wagner, who is on paper, Michigan’s best player. They also may be playing their final games at Michigan here in March, MAAR for sure and it remains to be seen if Wagner will leave for the NBA or not. If they want to be remembered as Michigan heroes who hauled the team to a Final Four or beyond, they need to ball out this weekend in Los Angeles. And as a whole, the offensive rhythm and flow needs to be better. There were too many empty possessions of stagnant offense this past weekend. Michigan’s elite defense will keep them in games this weekend. An offense like we saw in NYC in the B1G Tournament would punch their ticket to San Antonio.

Image credit: NCAA Twitter (
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Tiyle

3/20/2018

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Three Things I learned from Beilein
By Nathan Sorensen

Before their Tuesday evening flight to Los Angeles, the Wolverines got in a practice today and humored us folks in the media.  At his press conference, Coach John Beilein, as delightful as ever, gave fresh insight into the team as they head into their Thursday night match against the Texas A&M Aggies.

First off, a bit of hope.  Going into the opening weekend of the tournament, many feared that the team would be rusty after a 10 day break, which was a product of playing the B1G conference tournament a full week before all other major conferences.  These fears appear to have been validated as the Wolverines turned in two woeful offensive performances against Montana and Houston, which luckily lead to victories due to excellent defense and a certain shot. Beilein was quick to downplay the role of the extended break in their performance, citing North Carolina who couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn and experienced no such break.  Whatever the cause of these bad shooting performances, they are hopefully in the rearview mirror of this Michigan squad. On Monday, the team ran through shooting drills, which Beilein said were some of the best he had ever seen. A highlight of the day was Zavier Simpson going a cool 60/80 from the arc. Hopefully that kind of shooting performance will rollover to Thursday’s matchup. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine them shooting much worse than in their prior two games.  

Another interesting note Beilein made about their practice leading into their Sweet Sixteen game: the team has been utilizing tennis balls.  Now, I’ve heard of using tennis balls for ball handling drills to sharpen hand-eye coordination, but this was a little different. The coaching staff has made Moe Wagner and Duncan Robinson hold tennis balls while playing defense in the hope that it will prevent them from fouling.  Holding the balls is supposed to prevent them from grabbing and illegally touching their opponent which has been a problem for both players. Wagner is a foul magnet, and Robinson finished the thriller over Houston on the bench after picking up five fouls. Players drawing silly fouls has also been a theme for many teams so far in the tournament. From my casual watching, many games have been slogs filled with whistles and it has lead to many teams finishing games without their stars. Most notably, Texas lost an overtime battle to Nevada in the first round in large part because their star freshman Mo Bamba fouled out while logging only 31 minutes in his final game as a Longhorn (at least that was more than Jaren Jackson played). If anything is keeping me up at night going into the Texas A&M game, it’s our own Moe going down in similar fashion.  Texas A&M boasts a deep frontcourt and Michigan will need Wagner to not be chained to the bench. Do tennis balls actually help? I can’t say and I’m not about to doubt Beilein.

Lastly, Beilein put an end to a (not actually) furious debate.  As soon as Jordan Poole’s miraculous three-pointer to defeat Houston hit the bottom of the net, the shot was being compared to the heroic actions of one Trey Burke that came five years (already?) prior.  Of course the comparison was bound to be made. Each was a miraculous occurence that gave life to a season that was all but lost. Both came on college basketball’s biggest stage, the Big Dance, the most grandiose and romanticized spectacle in all of sports.  They’re both moments of pure joy that this fanbase will cherish forever, so of course instead of simply enjoying them, everyone has jumped at the opportunity to rank them. As for myself, I am very conflicted on this issue and after much deliberation I have come out in favor the Burke shot.  As soon as the ball left Burke’s hand, I was certain Michigan’s 2013 tournament run was over. A team that was loaded with talent could have underperformed the entirety of the season and finished the tournament forgettably in the round of 16. When that prayer found the basket, I had never felt more shock, relief, and awe in my entire life. Thankfully, Beilein has come down on this issue and provided a definitive answer. When asked, he stated without hesitation that the Poole shot was superior. This was mostly on the grounds that Poole’s shot was a game-winner while the Burke shot still left Michigan plenty of work to do in overtime. Whichever way you fall on it, I think we can all agree that each shot was a beautiful piece of Michigan basketball history and that Poole had a way cooler celebration.

​
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How Michigan Lax Can Find Hope Five Hours To the West

3/16/2018

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by Alex Kremer


​It’s 2016. As the final whistle blows on a crisp day in Milwaukee, the Tar Heels are the ones dropping their sticks and running in celebration over their first round victory in the NCAA tournament. Not the Golden eagles. While Joe Amplo’s team collapses on the field, he picks them up and consoles them. He picks up a distraught Tanner Thompson, who had just posted a hat trick, and tells him, this isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning. And as cliche as that sounds, the head coach of Marquette is right. This was a gigantic step for the lacrosse team that was only in its fourth year. They won the Big East the week before. They beat the number one ranked team in the country in Denver. They made their first ever NCAA tournament. This team, some five hours from Ann Arbor, should be the model for the new era of Michigan lacrosse.



Kevin Conry is in the midst of his first season at the helm, and a game against the Golden Eagles looms this Saturday. The team is competitive, but early season loses at Yale and Penn have left a bitter taste in the mouth of Wolverine fans. Not because they expected to beat perennial Ivy League powers, but because the team was competitive throughout the two away games, losing 9-12 and 11-15 respectively. Michigan had a chance to win both games, and that can’t be said for the majority of games against good teams in Michigan lacrosse history. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as U of M has a young lax program.

​So did the Golden Eagles’ program when it first started in 2013. There are many similarities between the young programs. Coaches who came from successful coaching trees at successful programs. Finding players who may not be highly recruited, but are gritty and coachable. In many ways Michigan has a key advantage over Marquette. They are able to recruit at a higher level. Hell, they brought in two top-100 attackers in Kevin Mack and Alex Bucknavage. Both are starting and producing big numbers along stud midfielder Brent Noseworthy. The Golden Eagles struggled from the onset and so did the Wolverines. It took a couple of years for Amplo to get his players in the program and become competitive against top tier competition. Michigan is doing it in year one. But by year three Amplo had the team winning ten games and by year four he had them beating a number one team and in the NCAA tournament.

​Sure, the Big East is a significantly easier conference than the Big Ten, but it has powerhouses and winning it is no small feat. Amplo has done it two years in a row now. Conry is only in year one of his rebuild. But if he can take pages out Amplo’s book and develop his aggressive, attacking players, he has all the tools to make a run at the tournament. Terrapins and Blue Jays pose a tall task in being competitive in a tough Big Ten conference, but Conry has experience from his years in College Park. We’ll find out exactly where Michigan stands this Saturday when Amplo and his squad come to Ann Arbor. But, if anyone can lead the Wolverines program to the tournament, and to a similar rise that Marquette is enjoying right now, it’s the man at the helm right now.

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A Note Before the Madness

3/15/2018

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By Eric Margolin

One of favorite months of the year is March. The NBA season is in full swing, there’s baseball, hockey, and off-season football craziness. There is never a dull moment in the sports world. But the best part, by far, is NCAA March Madness. 48 basketball games in 4 days, each team fighting  for their lives to keep playing. Buzzer beaters, hard fouls, tears of both joy and sorrow. Young men working as hard as they can towards one common goal: a championship. I’ll probably pull my phone out in class, ignore all social responsibility, and not study for my two exams next week to watch all the games. I love college basketball and now I have a team that I actually support (with out of state tuition). It’ll be a great weekend of basketball.

But then the game cuts to a commercial break. Ads that cost thousands to produce and much more to air fly across the screen. AT&T, Capital One, Coke, and more give up massive amounts of money to show their ads to millions of people. Then the game is back, where thousands of screaming fans have paid good money tickets to see these amateur athletes play for their college in massive arenas that sometimes cost close to a billion dollars to build. These palaces are littered with ads of their own, not to mention concession stand and merchandise stores that sell your favorite player’s jersey without a name on it.

In the center of all of this, a reflective blue circle with 4 massive letters on it. It’s the name of the company that takes in all the money, yet doesn’t have to pay those who do the work for it. It’s the name of the company that says it pays its employees in scholarships, but only for majors that fit around their practice schedule. It’s the name of the company that can take away that, “payment” if one of their employees gets hurt on the job and can no longer work. It’s the name of a nationwide cartel that exploits its employees, doesn’t protect them, and calls them, “student athletes” to get around their constitutional protections. NCAA.

Now I’m not saying don’t watch March Madness. I’m not saying don’t fill out a bracket. I’m not saying don’t support your favorite team. All I’m saying is next time you see the bright blue logo in the center of the court, think about the “student-athletes” who are risking their livelihoods for entertainment and no money.

Image from The Post-Gazzete 
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Pistons Week in Review

3/14/2018

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By: Bogart Lipe

Andre Drummond, who is playing like if a lovechild between Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash existed, can shoot free throws now. To celebrate, we’ll have an article every week whose length is based on Andre’s free throw percentage. For example, 0.500 from the line calls for a 500 word article, 0.700 is a 700 word article, and so on. So here we go. Andre Drummond is shooting 0.616 from the free throw line, so here are 616 words on the Pistons’ week.

This one is going to sting.


There comes an interesting time during the year for many students. The time where reality hits you. College students everywhere have hit the time of year when panic sets in. It seems, as if all of a sudden, you need to turn your grades all the way around, get in shape for summer, and find a job or internship. And, you guessed it, you’re not anywhere close to any of the above. Instead, you’ve been deciding when exactly you should throw away those freezer-burnt pizza rolls that expired last month instead of ritually inhaling them as a fourth meal while watching Netflix. And now you’ve realized the semester is coming to a close, and you’ll likely have to pick between surviving your classes, shedding those pizza rolls pounds, and being employed.

The Pistons are at this realization point. They’re failing. Straight F’s. They doze off in class. Haven’t applied to a single job. Had three Easy Mac and Cheese cups for dinner yesterday. Letting their figures go. It’s a mess. It’s gotten ugly. The absolute best case involves them somehow pulling a passing grade out of thin air, which in this metaphor would be a swift first round playoff exit.

This will not happen. They have no shot of salvaging the season. It’s, without a doubt, over. Many college students will turn it around. The Pistons will not. It’s too late for them. Yet another difficult, and dare I say cursed, season has fully enveloped the team. Reggie Jackson should not return this season. Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin need to start missing games because of “sore knees” and “back spasms”. There is no point anymore. Last night against the Utah Jazz, the Pistons fell behind 42-21 after the first. The Jazz shot 81% in the quarter, the second highest by a team this year (the Charlotte Hornets shot north of 82% in a quarter earlier this year, because the NBA is weird). The game was over after less than 12 minutes, and the final score was a whimsically lopsided 110-79.

This is excruciating to admit, sure. The team started red hot, sporting a top five league-wide record and looking the part of a good team. Then everything happened. Now the team looks gutted, the trio of Jackson-Blake-Dre doesn’t appear that it will play any meaningful minutes together this season, and it is likely that the Pistons will again punt to next season. Tom Gores has articulated that he will not quit on Stan Van Gundy, but it may not be his choice anymore. The players have quit on him. The Pistons play as if they are in full on tank mode, yet they won’t have a first round pick this year unless it falls in the top four. The Pistons are instead looking at having a pick in the ever-spectacular 10-14th range of picks, where it’s unlikely a difference maker will be available (although the Pistons passed on both Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell in this range in recent years). Regardless, the NBA has no reason to rig the lottery for Detroit. The league literally hates the Pistons. The Bad Boys, the 2004 Pistons making basketball unwatchable for most NBA fans, the Malice at the Palace. They hate us. So forget that pipe dream.

There’s roughly 6 weeks left of the semester, and 4 weeks left of the NBA regular season. If you’re one of the aforementioned students trying to somehow regain control of your life, you can do it. If you’re a Piston, and you’re trying to somehow get into the playoffs, you can’t do it. Book that vacation in the Caribbean early and save yourself some money.
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One Reason Every NCAA Tournament Team Could Win the National Championship

3/13/2018

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Picture
Picture via UMBC Men's Basketball Twitter
By: Lucas Vargas

First Four


#16 LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds

Blackbirds are supposedly an extremely smart species and Joel Hernandez averages 20.9 PPG.

#16 Radford Highlanders

As Obi-Wan Kenobi told Anakin in Star Wars Episode III, “I have the high ground”, The Radford Highlanders should use that same idea to their advantage. Anakin was foolish enough to challenge Obi-Wan, now who is foolish enough to challenge Radford? Carlik Jones hit the buzzer beating 3 to win the Big South, clutch gene could be in play.

#11 St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley are very good basketball players averaging 19.8 and 18.5 PPG respectively. The Bonnies are named after themselves which means they ooze confidence.

#11 UCLA Bruins

UCLA has won 11 National Championships and we all know that history repeats itself. Aaron Holiday, averaging 20.3 PPG and 5.8 APG, won’t be taking any days off in March.

#16 NC Central Eagles

Located in Durham, NC, the Eagles may be looking to get their own basketball tradition going. LeVelle Moton is an underrated coach.

#16 Texas Southern Tigers

The back to back SWAC Champions had the opportunity to play UNC in the first round last tournament. UNC won the whole thing a year ago, so it might be time to see what lessons the Tigers took away from that game.

#11 Arizona St. Sun Devils

Arizona State tried to literally fight Colorado in their loss during the PAC-12 Tournament. It could be an encouraging sign if the Sun Devils decide to put up a fight on the court for once in 2018.

#11 Syracuse Orange

Orange juice is really good and Syracuse has their tallest team in the last 10 years. In the age of dual sport athletes, it is important to note that height is a key component for NFL Scouts when they evaluate talent. Nothing easy vs. a 2-3 zone.

South Region

#1 Virginia Cavaliers

Kyle Guy isn’t just any guy. He averages nearly 14.5 PPG and shoots almost 40% from deep. Virginia possesses an impenetrable defense that would take Ulysses S. Grant to break through. This is one of the most disciplined teams in the tournament.

#16 UMBC Retrievers

Candidate for best mascot of the tournament, the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers will be looking to retrieve a national title. Jairus Lyles will go get a bucket whenever he wants. His dagger on the road in Vermont to get to the tournament verifies the clutch gene. The excuse won’t be my dog ate my homework, it will be the Retrievers ate my bracket.

#8 Creighton Blue Jays

Coach Greg McDermott will have his team ready to call him Coach Greg McBuckets with dynamic scorers like Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas. Blue Jays have got to be one of the best birds for any bird watchers to see and they for sure should be watching these Blue Jays.

#9 Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State will have teams checking the map when they introduce themselves as coming from Manhattan. They’ll also have opposing bigs checking their defensive maps when they get lost trying to guard Dean Wade on the perimeter. Things start off with a revenge game vs former Wildcat, Marcus Foster. This team is tough.  

#5 Kentucky Wildcats

For once people aren’t only condemning Kentucky as probably paying players which means the young Wildcats have less distractions. Kevin Knox will be looking to knock off the competition.

#12 Davidson Wildcats

Davidson is back and ready to harness the powers of Steph Curry. Peyton Aldridge leads a group that bombs threes at 39%.

#4 Arizona Wildcats

Arizona is basically a professional team and Deandre Ayton is definitely worth more than $100 K. This team won a pretty bad conference but is ready to see if the hard work they inve$ted over the summer pays off.

#13 Buffalo Bulls

The city is on a hot streak after sending the Bills to the Playoffs. Luckily the Bulls don’t have Nathan Peterman. Instead, they have CJ Massinburg who averaged 16.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG enroute to winning some #MACtion titles.

#6 Miami Hurricanes

Miami basketball hasn’t been the same since LeBron left. The Hurricanes believe it is God’s Plan that they make a run and certainly spread the scoring wealth with no player averaging over 12 PPG.

#11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

Clayton Custer leads a Ramblers team that beat Florida on the road earlier this season. People often tune out when someone starts rambling but that’s exactly what this team wants you to do. Don’t sleep on the Missouri Valley Champs.

#3 Tennessee Volunteers

Rick Barnes went from one UT to the next. Best player name candidate, Admiral Schofield, partners with Grant Williams and Lamonte Turner to lead a team that makes up for having to watch their football program.

#14 Wright State Raiders

Is Wright State the Right State? A team with a mascot of the Raiders has a dog in its logo and the 27th best scoring defense in the country.

#7 Nevada Wolf Pack

The Martin Twins lead a team that scores 83 PPG and if you’ve ever seen the jungle book you know how strong a Wolf Pack is.

#10 Texas Longhorns

Shaka Smart is always dangerous in March, but the success of the Longhorns comes down to Dylan Osetkowski. The team is playing for Andrew Jones who was diagnosed with Cancer this year, making them a team to root for.

#2 Cincinnati Bearcats

I thought a Bearcat was a made up mascot until I went to the zoo last summer and saw one in real life. That has me believing in the Bearcats as they have gone from pretenders in the past to contenders in the present. They get down and guard. Maybe it should be CincinNATTY.

#15 Georgia State Panthers

D’Marcus Simonds has a future in the NBA and I want to see Ron Hunter on TV as much as possible.

West Region

#1 Xavier Musketeers

There are way more than 3 Musketeers on this team and Trevon Bluiett has no plans of blowing his last opportunity at Xavier. Xavier can beat you is a lot of different ways and winning the Big East regular season is not easy.

#8 Missouri Tigers

Is Michael Porter Jr.’s Back back? If it is, then the Tigers have a secret weapon who got the misses out in their last SEC tournament loss to Georgia.

#9 Florida State Seminoles

Florida State has a war chant.

#5 Ohio State Buckeyes

Andrew Dakich.

#12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Mike Daum, aka The Dauminator aka A Walking Bucket, is ready to have another top mascot candidate, the Jackrabbits, hopping to the Final Four.

#4 Gonzaga Bulldogs

A hungry dog runs fastest. The Bulldogs carry some international flair back to the tournament where they will look to avenge last season’s loss in Phoenix. Very underrated team.

#13 UNC Greensboro Spartans

The Spartans team that didn’t slap the floor won its conference tournament and also has the 6th best scoring defense. Funny how that works out.

#6 Houston Cougars

The Cougars haven’t played a true home game all season. They had home games at Texas Southern’s arena since their home venue is being renovated. This means they have more neutral site experience than any team in the field which could come in handy for an athletic group of kids.

#11 San Diego State Aztecs

This team gets good balance from its starting lineup. Being a west coast team means they have the element of surprise because nobody stayed up to watch them.

#3 Michigan Wolverines

The Back to Back Big Ten Tournament Champions come into the NCAA tournament on another hot streak.

#14 Montana Grizzlies

The Grizzlies won the Big Sky conference. Any time a team can conquer that much area they are worth a look. The sky is indeed very big.

#7 Texas A&M Aggies

#ComebackSZN

#10 Providence Friars

Ed Cooley ripped his pants in the Big East Title Game. That is a coach that I’d play for.

#2 North Carolina Tar Heels

They won last year

#15 Lipscomb Bisons

The Bisons catch you off guard immediately by having you question if it is Bison of Bisons. Curiosity killed the cat, while you were thinking about that Lipscomb was lighting you up on offense. They space the floor.

East Region

#1 Villanova Wildcats

Jalen Brunson is a savvy point guard. One of the most well coached teams in America scores 87 PPG, most in the country. Still can’t forget the Kris Jenkins shot from 2 years ago.

#8 Virginia Tech Hokies

Buzz Williams sweats a lot.

#9 Alabama Crimson Tide

Collin Sexton finger roll vs A&M, look it up.

#5 West Virginia Mountaineers

How far can a press get you? Usually it can win a middle school girls championship. Time for Jevon Carter to let his experience show and lead Press Virginia on a tournament run.

#12 Murray State Racers

The Racers could be known as the erasers when they start erasing people’s perfect brackets. They play fast which is fitting for their mascot.

#4 Wichita State Shockers

In 2013, the Wichita State Shockers shocked the world by advancing to the Final Four. The following years featured easy conference titles in the Missouri Valley. The Shockers now reside in the American and were unable to come away with the conference crown. The last time Wichita State didn’t win the regular season conference crown? 2013

#13 Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall plays Wichita State in their first game and Greg Marshall coaches the Shockers. Marshall is already one step ahead being the first school to have the last name of the opposing coach.

#6 Florida Gators

The Gators basically play positionless basketball and can space the floor as well as anyone. They are tough to beat when they hit shots and if Chris Chiozza starts hitting more floater 3s then it might be time to take them seriously.

#3 Texas Tech Red Raiders

You can get to Lubbock by going to the middle of nowhere and turning left. The school that parties hard actually has a team that plays even harder on defense. The Red Raiders always have high intensity.

#14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are on the exact same line of the tournament bracket as 2016 which means they have been in this position before. The Final Four is in San Antonio and there is no doubt that Stephen F. Austin would love to Remember the Alamo by playing in the Alamodome.

#7 Arkansas Razorbacks

Look up Daniel Gafford highlights.

#10 Butler Bulldogs

The Butler Way

#2 Purdue Boilermakers

Carsen Edwards is unguardable.

#15 Cal State Fullerton Titans

One of the millions of schools in California, Cal State Fullerton is another team that has the advantage of flying under the radar thanks to Pacific Time. This team is a mystery that teams may not be able to solve.

Midwest Region

#1 Kansas Jayhawks

In the reinforcement brought in mid-season acquisition Silvio De Sousa, Kansas, the home of the original rules of basketball, is attempting to add midseason free agency to the NCAA rules. Somehow allowed to add a player who solves their only weakness midseason, the Jayhawks have everything they need to win games. Devonte Graham is as good as they come at the guard position.

#16 Penn Quakers

The Ivy League Champs have a group of high IQ players who will do their homework and study the scouting report.

#8 Seton Hall Pirates

Angel Delgado is a walking double double. The challenge for pirates has always been if they can find where X marks the spot. If I was Kevin Willard I would consider Angel Delgado as the X on my treasure map and feed him the ball.

#9 NC State Wolfpack

Kevin Keatts is back in the tournament after coaching UNC Wilmington. A talented team with fun names to say such as Omer Yurtseven, Torin Dorn, Abdul-Malik Abu, and Allerick Freeman can be fun to watch if they get the ball moving.

#5 Clemson Tigers

Mark Donnal is a veteran with tournament experience thanks to his time at Michigan. A strong defensive team that finished 3rd in the ACC will look to make a run in its first NCAA tournament in a good while. It won’t be easy to catch these tigers by the tail.

#12 New Mexico State Aggies

Zach Lofton has racked up experience through stops at 3 schools but still doesn’t really pass the ball. He does score almost 20 PPG which makes the Aggies ready for a shootout.

#4 Auburn Tigers

The surprising Auburn Tigers won the SEC regular season. Can they learn from their football team to respect “small schools”? If they can then the Tigers have talented players in Mustapha Heron, Jared Harper, and Bryce Brown.

#13 Charleston Cougars
Grant Riller, Joe Chealey, and Jarrell Brantley all score more than 17 PPG on a Cougars team that has only lost one game since January 18th.

#6 TCU Horned Frogs

Jamie Dixon has turned the TCU program around and has the team moving the ball as well as anyone. They average 18.8 APG and pose tough matchups across a balanced starting 5.

#3 Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans defense is astronomically worse when they slap the floor in a display of fake toughness. If they can avoid doing that they could make a run with what is supposed to be one of Izzo’s best teams ever.

#14 Bucknell Bison

Zach Thomas leads a team that has won 18 of 19 games coming into March. The Bison are stampeding towards San Antonio. Mike Muscala also played for Bucknell.

#7 Rhode Island Rams

Imagine the marketing campaign of “Rhode to the Final Four”.

#10 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma basketball followed up the football team blowing a 14 point halftime lead to Georgia by blowing the 2nd half of their own season. The Sooners lost 11 of their final 15 games but it could be a bold strategy of saving their energy for when the games really count. Judging by their reaction on selection Sunday they may not be dead just yet.

#2 Duke Blue Devils

Duke was picked by all the experts before the season so I guess that is worth something.

#15 Iona Gaels

One of the best New York schools you’ve never heard of won the sneaky MAAC conference. They can score with anyone on the floor.

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High Leverage Picks to Win Your Bracket Pool

3/12/2018

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Finally. For college basketball fanatics such as myself, the back half of March and first week of April is our Christmas. From Tuesday night in Dayton to Thursday morning and simulcasting four games at once to the conclusion of One Shining Moment the madness will be on. 68 will battle it out to determine a singular champion cutting down the nets in San Antonio. But, before the madness can begin, odds are you’re itching to beat your coworkers in the office pool, embarrass your friends with your stellar bracket, and maybe collect free money from Warren Buffett as part of his perfect bracket challenge. Before you can begin, you have to know who the best under-the-radar picks are, which, I’m sure, is why you’re reading this article.


The Second Weekend Sleepers

While most standard pools don’t give you extra points for choosing upsets, you can gain an edge by selecting an unheralded sleeper to make the second weekend. In order to gain that small, early, but beneficial head start on your competition, here are some teams to look out for.


New Mexico State

Wichita State, the former darlings of the Missouri Valley Conference, have always been known for their stellar team defense. This year they have been slacking on that end despite returning their entire roster from last season. What gives? The coaching staff. Plucked from Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall’s bench, Chris Jans has taken a consistently competitive New Mexico State program and turned them into a second weekend darkhorse due to their effort and efficiency on the defensive half of the court. The Aggies are ranked 14th in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom, and are led by star senior guard Zach Lofton, who averages 20 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. This team has  a supporting cast with the ability to knockdown shots and string together stops on defense, so they were all but guaranteed to be a tough out.

Further in their favor, New Mexico State drew a weakened Clemson team in the 1st round. While Clemson has weathered the storm after losing Dontae Grantham early in the year with stellar defense of their own, they have struggled away from the infamously rowdy Littlejohn Coliseum. Assuming chalk holds elsewhere, NMSU would face Auburn in the 2nd round, a team who has struggled recently despite a hot start to the season. Auburn relies on guard play to win after losing two interior players to injury this season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, NMSU’s opponents shoot a paltry 30% from beyond the arc. With two favorable matchups in the first two rounds, NMSU has as good a chance as any double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16.


Virginia Tech

While their first round game will be an interesting matchup of offense versus defense, the Hokies are near impossible to stop when they’re hitting shots. Just ask Virginia, who dropped their lone conference game to their in-state rivals. If they get past Alabama, Virginia Tech will match up perfectly with Villanova, as neither team plays a large roster and relies heavily on hitting three point shots. In a hundred simulations, Villanova wins 80/100 games. Luckily for the Hokies, they only need to win once in March, and if the shots are falling they can easily unseat the Wildcats. More importantly, a Villanova loss would be crippling to the rest of your competition, as many of them will follow the experts’ safe picks and have the Wildcats reaching at least the final four, if not winning the championship.

UCLA

You don’t earn the nickname Sweet 16 Alford for no reason. This year should be no different for the Bruins and their ever-underperforming coach. Led by PAC-12 player of the year runner up Aaron Holiday, who has been on a tear lately, this Bruins team will be scary for opponents. With the “immortal Irishman” (thanks Bill Walton) and ever-improving freshman Kris Wilkes adding additional firepower, the Bruins will get buckets in a hurry. Their first round game will be won by whichever team reaches 90 first, as their opponent, Saint Bonaventure, can also light up the scoreboard. UCLA, however, is simply too talented to drop this game. After winning their first four game in Dayton, the Bruins will face the inconsistent Florida Gators, who despite returning the majority of last year’s elite eight team, have struggled shooting the ball frequently this year. Add that together with an inability and disinterest in playing defense on most possessions, UCLA should avenge their Final Four losses from 2006 and 2007. Next, the Bruins would likely face Texas Tech. Despite possessing an excellent coach in Chris Beard, athletic forwards, and talented two-way guards, Tech has not played well down the stretch, mostly as a result of a toe injury to Keenan Evans. While Evans has been healthy recently, UCLA’s Kris Wilkes, who has been phenomenal of late, will introduce himself to the general public and carry the Bruins into the Sweet Sixteen alongside the brilliance of Aaron Holiday.


Elite Eight Sleepers


NCST

There is no team more polarizing than Kevin Keatts’ Wolfpack this year. They have beaten Duke and North Carolina, title favorites, in addition to losing to Northern Iowa. Since the return of point guard Markell Johnson, the Pack have been much more consistent and competitive. Anchored by scoring guard Allerik Freeman, NBA bound big Omar Yurtseven and a roster stacked with three point shooters, the Wolfpack are a difficult draw for any team. In the first round against a Seton Hall team that has struggled all season, the Wolfpack will be tasked with stopping star forward Angel Delgado. Should they succeed, a matchup with Kansas awaits in the second round. Despite their lower seed, the Wolfpack match up excellently with the Jayhawks. North Carolina State plays a four out-one in lineup identical to that of Kansas. With Yurtseven on the inside, the Wolfpack can get Udoka Azubuike into foul trouble, the only way to prevent him from imposing his will on the offensive end. On the other end, outside of Devontae Graham, Kansas’ guards have been wildly inconsistent this season scoring the basketball. Although Kansas has been better of late, the Wolfpack’s nearly equivalent talent and up and down style, coupled with Kansas’ thin bench may enable the Wolfpack to steal a game from Bill Self’s squad. In the next round, they would face  the winner of the matchup between aforementioned NMSU Aggies and the Clemson Tigers. The Wolfpack’s strong play will continue in Omaha, as they’ll roll by the Aggies before falling short against ACC rival Duke in the Elite Eight.


Champion

Since all pools award more points with each successive round, picking a champion is the most important aspect of winning a bracket pool. While it’s easy to pick all the number one seeds or the name-brand twos such as Duke and North Carolina, there are several other teams with the potential to cut down the nets in San Antonio.


Michigan

For basketball nerds like myself, defense is really fun to watch. This squad has it all: hot shooting from Duncan Robinson, the underappreciated Muhammed Ali Abdur-Rahkman, and high level play from Moe Wagner, all the makings of a championship team. After starting the year unranked, the Wolverines consistently improved throughout the season, capping off their year with four wins in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament at Madison Square Garden. By playing as a team, the Wolverines have masked individual weaknesses, however the free throw problem still persists. If the Wolverines can solve their woes at the line, Michigan could secure its first title in the John Beilein era.


Arizona

Deandre Ayton. That’s all. The unstoppable cyborg from Nassau has taken his play to another level the past few weeks, all the while the centerpiece of an FBI scandal. Despite the turmoil in Tucscon, Sean Miller’s Wildcats banded together to win the PAC 12 title fairly easily, despite a scare in the semifinals against UCLA. Now a criminally underseeded four, the Wildcats road to the championship will not be easy. Luckily, this team has both talent and experience. Alongside Ayton are uber-talented sophomores Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins, the ever calm Dusan Ristic, and a deep bench containing more experience and talent. Sean Miller’s never been to a final four, but this year his team owns its best collection of experience and talent, both of which are necessary to winning it all. While at times they’ve lagged on the defensive end of the court, Miller’s team has shown flashes of brilliance in stopping opponents. If they can bring the intensity on defense in every game that they’ve merely shown at times, it could be Arizona’s title to lose.


Gonzaga

While they no longer have Nigel Williams-Goss, Silas Melson has done a commendable job filling his shoes. With a deep roster, similar in experience and talent to Arizona, Mark Few’s squad could reach the Final Four easily, as they are in the West region and drew the weakest number one seed in Xavier. If the threes are falling for Gonzaga to complement their interior dominance on both ends of the court, Mark Few could finally bring home that elusive championship.


Well, there you have it folks. If you want to fit in with the crowd and finish in the middle of your pool, go ahead and choose the chalk. But if you're aiming for first place just like me, make sure to lock in your leverage picks and blow your friends away when they convey.
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2018 WCBN Sports Bracketology

3/11/2018

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By; Alex Drain

Selection Sunday is here! The day that the world learns of the brackets for the NCAA Tournament is upon us and with it, I present to you WCBN Sports’ inaugural bracketology. These are our guesses for which seeds the teams in this tournament will be. The seeds ranked 1-4 also have venues in parentheses. So here we go:


1 Seeds: Virginia (Charlotte), Villanova (Pittsburgh), Kansas (Wichita), Xavier (Detroit)

2 Seeds: UNC (Charlotte), Duke (Nashville), Purdue (Detroit), Cincy (Pittsburgh)

3 Seeds: Tennessee (Nashville), Michigan (Wichita), Michigan St. (Dallas), Auburn (Dallas)

4 Seeds: Wichita St. (Boise), West Virginia (Boise), Arizona (San Diego), Texas Tech (San Diego)

5 Seeds: Kentucky, Clemson, Gonzaga, Ohio State

6 Seeds: Houston, Miami (FL), Florida, Texas A&M

7 Seeds: Arkansas, TCU, Nevada, Seton Hall

8 Seeds: Providence, Rhode Island, Missouri, Butler

9 Seeds: Alabama, Creighton, N.C. St., Florida St.

10 Seeds: Virginia Tech, Kansas St., Oklahoma, St. Bonaventure

11 Seeds: Davidson, USC/Texas, UCLA/St. Mary’s, Loyola-Chicago

12 Seeds: Buffalo, San Diego St., New Mexico St., Murray St.

13 Seeds: South Dakota St., UNC Greensboro, Charleston, Marshall

14 Seeds: Montana, Bucknell, Wright St., Stephen F. Austin

15 Seeds: Cal State Fullerton, Lipscomb, Penn, Georgia St.

16 Seeds: UMBC, Iona, Radford/NC Central, LIU Brooklyn/Texas Southern

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Pistons Week in Review

3/7/2018

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By: Bogart Lipe

Andre Drummond, who is playing like if a lovechild between Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash existed, can shoot free throws now. To celebrate, we’ll have an article every week whose length is based on Andre’s free throw percentage. For example, 0.500 from the line calls for a 500 word article, 0.700 is a 700 word article, and so on. So here we go. Andre Drummond is shooting 0.621 from the free throw line, so here are 621 words on the Pistons’ week.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

I recently got back to Ann Arbor from spring break a few days ago (the explanation for why I did not write a piece last week, as I did not have my laptop with me). It’s been rough. Miserable, really. I spent a week in 80 degree weather on the beach. It was marvelous. Paradise. Back in Ann Arbor? Bad things. Cold. Snow. I got off the plane and the first thing I saw: snow. The last thing I want to see after a vacation in a tropical metropolis: snow. I became nauseous and unsteady on my feet. I went back to class Monday. It was more of the same. I almost twisted ankles and knees on slush on the way to and from class. A few days prior I had to make sure I wasn’t twisting ankles and knees on uneven sand on the way to and from the beach.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

The Pistons got back from the All Star Break nearly two weeks ago (the explanation for why I did not write a piece two weeks ago, as there was no worthy Pistons team news to discuss). It’s been rough. Miserable, really. The team had reeled off 5 straight victories after trading for Blake Griffin. It was marvelous. Paradise. Then after that? Bad things. Sloppiness. Complacency. Three of four games before the break: losses. Six of seven games after the break: losses. Seeing loss after loss made me nauseous and unsteady on my feet. I went back home and watched them from the comfort of my living room. It was more of the same. I almost hurt myself slapping my leg and pounding the couch out of frustration during Pistons losses. A few weeks prior I had to make sure I wasn’t hurting myself slapping my leg and pounding the couch out of excitement during Pistons wins.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

My friends from other schools? Currently in Florida. Sampling the exact same restaurants, bars, and beach that I visited a week ago. It’s demoralizing. Yes, I want the best for my friends. Yes, I want them to have a good time. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s comforting sitting through a 7-9 p.m. class while people you know are on spring break having an incredible time.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

The former Pistons whom were traded for Blake Griffin? Currently in Los Angeles. Winning games, amid excitement, and enjoying themselves like I did a few weeks ago. It’s demoralizing. Yes, I want the best for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Avery Bradley. Yes, I want them to have a good time. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s comforting sitting through the Pistons winning 2 out of 11 while the Clippers have won 9 of 12.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

It’s not the end of the world. Next year the University of Michigan has the same spring break as other universities in Michigan. Maybe I’ll go back to Florida a year from now. Until then, it’s time to save money and look forward to next year.

It isn’t easy coming back from a break.

It’s not the end of the world. Next year the Pistons will have Blake, Andre Drummond, theoretically a healthy Reggie Jackson, and a developing Stanley Johnson. Maybe the Pistons won’t yet again be cursed with injuries a year from now. Until then, it’s time to hope the team tanks enough to keep their pick (it would have to be in the top 4) and look forward to next year.

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An Ode to Michigan Basketball

3/5/2018

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By: Alex Drain

The dust settled on a weekend in which Michigan Basketball won 4 games in 4 days and it left the Wolverines the Champions of the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year. The hoopers from Ann Arbor will get a long layoff of at least 11 days, and so , it’s time to look back and then look forward. What this team has already accomplished is rather remarkable, and what it could accomplish is even greater. Let’s delve into an ode to the 2017-18 Michigan Wolverines:



The Road to Big Ten Champs

I want to take you back to two points in time: the first was December 4. Michigan was playing in Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that was picked to be in the bottom of the Big Ten. After jumping out to a 20 point first half lead, the Wolverines collapsed and blew the game. To lose to a team of OSU’s caliber after leading by that much stung. So did the fact that it was just over a week after Michigan football’s disastrous 2017 regular season came to a close. Nothing seemed to be good in the Michigan sports world. The loss dropped Michigan to 7-3. They’d been blown out by North Carolina, a good team, dropped a game in Hawaii to LSU, one they should’ve won, and then this loss to a bad team. That 2016-17 Big Ten Champion and Sweet 16 team seemed to be a long, long time ago and it seemed fair to not expect much from this squad in 2017-18. After all, they had lost alpha dog PG Derrick Walton Jr., veteran forward Zak Irvin, and NBA talent DJ Wilson. This year’s team would surely be on the bubble, maybe in, maybe out of the big dance.

Well, in hindsight, Ohio State turned out to be a lot better than expected, and credit to Chris Holtmann for a great coaching job. But it didn’t change the facts of the time. Michigan would then have a crucial two game stretch where they dug deep to defeat UCLA at home, before getting a gritty win in Austin against the Texas Longhorns. They cruised the remainder of their cupcake December schedule and entered full-on conference play.


This takes me to the second important point in time: February 6. This happened to be my birthday, and for a birthday present, I got Michigan’s ugliest loss of the season, a 61-52 stinker of a loss to Northwestern. It remains Michigan’s only terrible loss and with it, the Wolverines were 19-7, 8-5 in the Big Ten. In between this game and December, Michigan came close to beating Purdue twice, shocked Michigan State in East Lansing, and had a schedule loss in Lincoln. I knew at this point Michigan could go far, but after the loss to Northwestern, it was hard to be confident. At that point there were just 5 games left in the season, and frankly, the schedule was daunting. They had @Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, @Penn State, and @Maryland. Going 2-3 in that stretch could find Michigan on the bubble entering the B1G Tournament and there were many who thought that was possible. So what did they do? They won every game by at least 9 points. It was arguably the defining point of the season, when everything began to click, and Michigan entered NYC red hot.


A Big Ten Beatdown
Over the past 4 days, Michigan showcased the team that they truly are: a team. While the 2013 and 2014 squads had true superstars and NBA lottery draft picks like Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas leading the team, this Michigan team doesn’t have that. Sure, Moritz “Moe” Wagner could leave for the NBA after this season and go in the late first round, but this isn’t HIS team the way it was Stauskas’ or Burke’s team. It’s everyone’s team. On Thursday, it was senior forward Duncan Robinson who hit clutch threes when needed against Iowa. On Friday, it was senior guard Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rakhman who shot the lights out against Nebraska. On Saturday, it was sophomore guard Zavier Simpson who silenced Michigan State star guard Cassius Winston. On Sunday, it was backup sophomore center Jon Teske coming off the bench to score 14 huge points in the pick-and-roll offense. Every game, it’s someone different. And every game, Michigan plays as a team. The Wolverines established themselves as the Big Ten’s best team this weekend. They were the only team to beat each of the other 13 teams once and also beat every other team except Minnesota by at least 9 points in at least one contest. That includes MSU and Purdue and OSU, all likely top 5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Not just is Michigan winning games, but they’re winning them comfortably. No doubt about it: the Wolverines are the champs. And that is remarkable.


How Much They Can Still Achieve

This Sunday, the NCAA bracket will get released and with it, millions of basketball fans will fill out their picks for the Final Four. You should expect to see quite a bit of people putting the Wolverines in San Antonio for the Final Four. Will that happen? I don’t know, the tournament is far too random to predict and a lot may come down to matchups. But what I do know is that Michigan is capable of beating every other team in the tournament. Over those same last 3 or 4 weeks that I mentioned earlier, Michigan has established themselves as one of the best teams in the whole country. KenPom lists Michigan as the 9th best team overall, and barttorvik.com has Michigan as the best team in the country since the Northwestern loss. Michigan’s adjusted defensive efficiency is 6th in the country and the offense is a not too shabby 31st. That defensive intensity will allow the Wolverines to stay in games even when there are tough matchups.


I expect Michigan to be either a 3 or a 4 seed. For much of the season, RPI, which is the committee’s prefered archaic method to seed teams, has lagged behind other metrics like KenPom when evaluating Michigan, due to the Big Ten’s weak group of teams this year. While that is still the case, the difference is far less glaring. Michigan is now up to 13th in RPI, which is bordering on a 3 seed, and using the committee’s new quadrant system, Michigan is 6-5 in Q1 games, with the potential to get a 7th or 8th Q1 win if UCLA moves into the top 30 or Penn St. moves into the top 75. A 3 seed would obviously be preferred, but this Michigan team isn’t fearing anyone. Not when they’re on this dragon-slaying adventure. They are the dragon that other teams now fear. And how far can they go? I think all the way. How far will they go? That’s another question, and only time will tell. But at this point, they’ve exceeded our wildest expectations. So let’s just see how much farther it lasts, and enjoy it every step of the way.


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