Michigan Sneaks Into The NCAA Tournament By The Skin Of Their Teeth

They made us sweat it out, but that's the Michigan way.

I can't beat around the bush. This year, Michigan basketball has been a pretty great disappointment up to this point. This was a team that was in the preseason top five. They returned some studs like Hunter Dickinson and brought in what many people believed would be studs, yet they snuck into the tournament as an 11 seed with the 17-14 record. With all of that, what matters is The Big Dance. When you look at the draw, Michigan could've done a heck of a lot worse. They're going to open against 6 seed Colorado state, who is by no means a slouch, but is a team that will have a significant disadvantage in terms of size compared to Michigan. Assuming Michigan gets by Colorado State (which there's no guarantee that they will) they would most likely play Tennessee, who is damn impressive. Rick Barnes is one or more underrated coaches in the country, and he's done a tremendous job at Tennessee up to this point, including an SEC tournament championship win this season. 

There's no sport where the regular season is as meaningless as it is in college basketball. You didn't win your conference? Too bad. You didn't win your conference tournament championship? Who cares? What matters most is the banners that you hang when you get to the NCAA tournament, and Michigan is pretty darn fortunate to be there this year. Do I think they had one of the top 68 resumes in the country? I do. But considering they were 7-7 at one point, and considering they had a Covid problem, AND considering the fact their coach got suspended at one point, it is kind of a miracle they find themselves in the tournament at all. That may bode well for Michigan because miracles happen in March. Time to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Here's hoping they make a run.