Michigan Wolverines
Big Ten (28-6, 15-5)
Michigan made a big splash this season. By December 1st, the Wolverines had wins over Villanova, North Carolina and Purdue. And they were not just wins; Michigan demolished all three of those teams. After a 17-0 start, the Wolverines fell back down to Earth a little bit later in the season, but they only lost six games and head into the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest and most talented teams in the country.
Big Wins: 11/14 at Villanova (73-46), 11/28 North Carolina (84-67), 12/1 Purdue (76-57)
Bad Losses: 1/19 at Wisconsin (54-64), 2/1 at Iowa (59-74), 2/12 at Penn State (69-75)
Coach: John Beilein
Why They Can Surprise:
Michigan plays some of the best defense in the country. The team allows just 58.8 points per game and the opposition shoots a mere 40.1 percent from the floor. It does not take much offense to win games when the opposition struggles to score that much. But, of course, Coach John Beilein has plenty of talented scorers on his roster. Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis leads the squad with 15.0 points per game and hits over 40 percent of his three-point attempts. As usual this is a team that has big men that can shoot and Brazdeikis is not the only one. Jon Teske is a threat to shoot the ball and so is reserve Isaiah Livers. Jordan Poole has emerged as the team’s most prolific outside shooter, connecting on 70 long balls so far this year. Jordan Matthews does drag down the team’s three-point shooting percentage, but the 6-6 senior guard is very effective attacking the basket.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Teams that rely heavily on three-point shooting often find the NCAA Tournament a difficult dilemma. One off shooting night and their tournament dreams are over. However, this Michigan team is not just a team that shoots the ball. Even though they will always have five shooting threats on the floor, this is a group that wins games by taking care of the basketball and playing good defense. Michigan will stay in every game because of that, but they will need to knock down some shots in order to reach the Final Four and beyond.
Probable Starters:
Zavier Simpson, Junior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 6.6 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 spg
Charles Matthews, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 1.4 apg, 4.9 rpg
Jordan Poole, Sophomore, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 2.2 apg
Ignas Brazdeikis, Freshman, Forward, 15.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Jon Teske, Junior, Center, 9.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Key Role Players:
Isaiah Livers, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Eli Brooks, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg, 1.1 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.4 (239th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.8 (3, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.9 (153, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (21, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (147, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.1 (135, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.4 (210, 8)
Rebound Margin: 0.1 (192, 10)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (183, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.0 (1, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Montana |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Houston |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Texas A&M |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Florida State |
| 2018 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Loyola (IL) |
| 2018 | NCAA | National Final loss to Villanova |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Oklahoma State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Louisville |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Oregon |
| 2016 | NCAA | Opening Round win over Tulsa |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Wofford |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Texas |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Kentucky |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over South Dakota State |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over VCU |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Kansas |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Florida |
| 2013 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Syracuse |
| 2013 | NCAA | National Final loss to Louisville |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Ohio |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Tennessee |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Duke |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Clemson |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma |
| 2007 | NIT | First Round win over Utah State |
| 2007 | NIT | Second Round loss to Florida State |
| 2006 | NIT | First Round win over UTEP |
| 2006 | NIT | Second Round win over Notre Dame |
| 2006 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Miami |
| 2006 | NIT | Semifinal win over Old Dominion |
| 2006 | NIT | Final loss to South Carolina |
| 2004 | NIT | First Round win over Missouri |
| 2004 | NIT | Second Round win over Oklahoma |
| 2004 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Hawaii |
| 2004 | NIT | Semifinal win over Oregon |
| 2004 | NIT | Final win over Rutgers |
*all team stats through 3/10
