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Michigan basketball needed a win over rival Ohio State in the worst way.
Not only would it be a quad 1 win, but it’s over an arch rival, who was ranked No. 32 in the nation. So, for the Wolverines, it essentially was ‘win and you’re in.’
Well, Michigan won, 75-69, even without Hunter Dickinson, on Sunday, all but ensuring that the maize and blue will be dancing when the Big Ten Tournament has concluded. Of course, U-M has to get past Indiana on Thursday to truly ensure that it will be in the NCAA Tournament, but for now, experts are projecting that Michigan will be one of the first four byes, coming in as an 11-seed, playing 6-seed LSU in the East Region. Auburn is the 1-seed in this scenario and other obstacles would include Villanova, Illinois, and Saint Mary’s.
ESPN placed Michigan in the same category, as a last four bye, 11-seed against 6-seed LSU, but in the West. But it has Texas Tech, Gonzaga, UConn, and Texas Tech as the obstacles.
Basically, for the Wolverines to have an easier path to the second weekend of the tourney, they’ll have to beat Indiana and then finally take down Illinois in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament. Do that (and possibly more), and the maize and blue could find themselves with a much more favorable matchup in the tourney.
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