Much about Michigan’s postseason future is unclear, but one thing is certain: The Wolverines will take the 8th seed and face the 9th seed in Indiana to open the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Teams play Thursday at 11:30 AM ET in Indianapolis, with the winner advancing to Friday’s quarterfinals against the top seed, either Wisconsin or Illinois.
The Wolverine had a shot at 7th on Sunday, the final day of the Big Ten regular season. They did their job by setting up an upset in Ohio State, 75-69. However, Rutgers and Michigan State also won, sealing Michigan in 8th place.
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Michigan played Indiana once this season, on January 23, UM won Bloomington 80-62. The Wolverines finished 11-9 in the Big Ten game; Hoosiers were 9-11. Michigan State was also 11-9 and shared their regular season streak with Michigan, but won the tiebreak over the Wolverines due to a better winning percentage over the top teams in the conference.
Most of the Big Ten Tournament bracket is determined, but not the top three seeds. Iowa plays in Illinois on Sunday night (7:30 AM prompt). A win in Illinois would give him 1 seed, Wisconsin 2, and Purdue 3. If Iowa won, Wisconsin would be 1 seed, Purdue would be 2, and Illinois would be 3.
Michigan have lost both games against Illinois this season. The Wolverines played in Wisconsin only once, losing in Madison. During the post-game handshake, a fight broke out that resulted in Michigan head coach Juwan Howard being suspended for five games. This suspension potentially ended after Sunday’s game. Howard would need to be officially reinstated to become a coach in the Big Ten tournament.
The tournament will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Last season, Michigan took first place and beat Maryland in the quarterfinals before losing to Ohio State in the semifinals. Illinois won the tournament.