College basketball expert reveals how Michigan basketball can make it to the Final 4 of NCAA Tournament
After winning eight games last season, Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines have done the unexpected. The Wolverines went and won the Big Ten Tournament and were also in contention to win the regular season. With just three returning scholarship players from last year’s team, May filled his team full of transfers and recruits to make an NCAA Tournament run. Michigan got past UC San Diego in the first round and took down Texas A&M in the Round of 32.
The Wolverines will now take on the No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl’s team finished the regular season and SEC Tournament poorly, losing three of their last four games. But Auburn rebounded and got past Alabama State and Creighton in the first two rounds of the tournament.
According to ESPN’s Jay Bilas, Michigan has a Final Four run in it, but the Wolverines must take care of the basktball if they will get there. Michigan is one of the most turnover-prone teams in college basketball and that’s the main area of concern.
They take care of the ball. Michigan is very good on the defensive end and has the ability to beat just about anybody, but its turnover rate is the highest, by far, of the teams remaining in the field. Take care of the ball, and Michigan has a chance.
But just taking care of the basketball won’t get Michigan to the Final Four. The Wolverines have one of the tougher challenges on paper: Auburn. The Tigers received the No. 1 overall seed for a reason and Bilas wonders if that challenge could be too much for Michigan. But the Wolverines have two 7-footers who might have a say.
The opponent. Auburn is a difficult matchup for Michigan. The Tigers can switch, and they have the big bodies and athleticism to deal with Goldin and Danny Wolf.
