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Bracketology: Gonzaga, Baylor against the Field
We are a month away from Selection Sunday, and as we sit today, it’s Gonzaga and Baylor against the Field of 68. The Zags and Bears remain perfect and are about as locked-in as the top two overall seeds as two teams can be. This morning, Michigan and Ohio State continue to occupy the other two slots along the top line. It will be interesting to see how the Selection Committee handles a team like the Wolverines, who have just one blemish and lead the Big Ten, but who haven’t played for two weeks. The Committee’s initial Top 16 seeds are revealed today.
Elsewhere, many eyes will be on the Missouri Valley as Drake and Loyola-Chicago lock horns for a back-to-back set this weekend in Des Moines. In a weird way, it would help the MVC if the teams split those games. The bubble is as fluid as ever; we’ll start taking a closer look there after what figures to be a critical weekend for many teams.
Bracketology: Michigan joins No. 1 seeds
Michigan has earned its place among the No. 1 seeds. The Wolverines enter the weekend with an unblemished record and lead arguably the nation’s deepest conference. If there’s any chink in Big Blue’s resume, it’s the fact the Wolverines have only played two road games and nothing on a neutral court. Then again, it’s not like Michigan hasn’t been dominating its competition.
Gonzaga continues to hold its spot at the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Baylor, Michigan and Villanova. The pandemic has taken a recent toll on Villanova, so we haven’t seen much of the Wildcats lately. We’ll have to see how the Committee eventually handles those types of scenarios. Even though ‘Nova holds a head-to-head win over Texas, one could make the case that both the Longhorns and Iowa have a better overall resumes. Stay tuned.
Enjoy a busy weekend of college hoops.
Quick Takes: Michigan on a roll
Welcome back to Quick Takes! Let’s get started.
Michigan is on quite a roll. The Wolverines thumped Minnesota in Ann Arbor to move to 5-0 in the Big Ten. Looking ahead, the schedule is favorable for Big Blue, too. Michigan only has to play Iowa, Illinois and Rutgers once, all three at home. That’s the type of advantage that could bring a regular season B10 title to Crisler Arena.
Additional Quick Takes:
Quick Takes: Michigan could use a U-turn
Beyond Ohio State being a rival, losing at home to the Buckeyes leaves Michigan in need of a U-turn. Now at 13-9, having lost 5 of 7 games, the Wolverines a flirting with what we like to call the bubble.
The good and bad news for Michigan is oddly the same. Big Ten competition provides high-level win opportunities almost every night; it also puts teams at risk of losing those tightly contested games. And that’s why Michigan could use the U-turn.
Here’s what’s ahead:
An angry Michigan State team, fresh off a home loss to Penn State, arrives in Ann Arbor this weekend. After that, five of the Wolverines final eight games are on the road, where UM is 1-5 this season (true road games). February is going to be an important month for Big Blue. Read more…
Quick Takes: Big start for top tier of Big Ten
It’s been a BIG start for the top tier of the Big Ten.
By now, we’re well aware of Michigan’s resume attributes from the Battle 4 Atlantis (wins over Iowa State, North Carolina, Gonzaga). Maryland hasn’t yet added the same name power, but the Terps do have victories over Temple, Marquette and Notre Dame. Wednesday night, Ohio State rode a dominant second-half to a lopsided win at North Carolina; that after running past Villanova at home in November.
Those three are a combined 23-1 with the lone loss belonging to Michigan following its Tuesday trip to Louisville. Pretty good stuff. Read more…
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