ESPN Bubble Watch: Michigan Needs Miracle To Get In, MSU Mediocre
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Two seasons ago, the Michigan Wolverines played for the national championship. This season, it would be a miracle if they got into the NCAA tournament, ESPN's Eamonn Brennan wrote in a rundown of teams on the bubble.
With only six regular season games remaining, including two against nationally ranked foes in Ohio State and Maryland, the Wolverines have an overall record of 13-11 and a conference record of 6-6. Two of the team's best players, Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton Jr., have been lost to injury.
Brennan did not include Michigan on his list of teams on the bubble but evidently felt compelled to mention them anyway.
"When you think about it, it's remarkable that Michigan made it on the page at all," Brennan wrote. "The Wolverines' chances of getting to the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight season looked cooked back in early December, when they lost to NJIT and Eastern Michigan in back-to-back home games. A 27-point loss at Arizona followed."
All that happened before the injuries, and Michigan still got off to a solid start in Big Ten play. Most recently, however, the Wolverines have lost three straight and sit ninth in the conference.
"It would take a minor miracle to get the Wolverines back on the page," Brennan wrote, "and a literal miracle for them to get a bid."
Brennan did discuss Michigan State in his list of Big Ten teams on the bubble. Though the Spartans have an overall record of 16-8 and a conference record of 7-4, Brennan found the recent home loss against Illinois a bit disconcerting.
"It's not a huge deal where the Spartans' profile is concerned (though it did briefly knock their ESPN RPI out of the top 50, for whatever that's worth), but it does add to the pervasive impression of mediocrity," Brennan wrote. "And when you look at this resume, with its 4-6 mark against the top 100 and just two top-50 wins (vs. Indiana, at Iowa), it's kind of hard to argue with that impression."
