Michigan basketball March Madness projections, bracketology

Perhaps Michigan basketball center Vlad Goldin put it best Sunday afternoon at Crisler Center.

The Wolverines had just finished their second game in four days against a team in the bottom half of the league standings, with both going to overtime and requiring everything U-M had in order to be in it late.

“It definitely shows how good the Big Ten is because everybody can beat everybody,” Goldin said. “I’ve said it a million times, said it to my family, said it to everybody, there are no bad teams in the Big Ten conference.”

The Wolverines finished an up-and-down week against two teams which are a combined 3-11 in the league, splitting games with a road loss at Minnesota on Thursday before rebounding with a win at home against Northwestern over the weekend.

ANALYSIS: Michigan happy to prove it can ‘win ugly’ in OT victory over Northwestern

It was U-M’s first loss in league play, but that was enough to drop Dusty May’s group from a tie for first into third, albeit just one game back of rival Michigan State. U-M has a chance to leapfrog the team in second place, however, when it travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on No. 15 Purdue at Mackey Arena on Friday (8 p.m., Fox).

But first, a look back at U-M’s resume to this point. Each Monday, the Free Press will take a look at Michigan’s previous week and assess how its resume has changed and stacks up to the competition.

Michigan basketball NCAA tournament résumé for 2025 March Madness

Michigan basketball NET rankings: No. 11 (Last week: No. 11)

All rankings entering Monday.

Quad 1 record: 3-1.

Quad 2 record: 2-3.

Quad 3 record: 6-0.

Quad 4 record: 2-0

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Michigan basketball KenPom rankings: No. 11 (Last week: No. 10)

All rankings entering Monday.

Offensive efficiency: No. 14.

Defensive efficiency: No. 24.

Michigan basketball bracketology projections

ESPN: 4-seed in South Region vs. Northern Colorado: Seattle (as of Jan. 17).

CBS: 5-seed in Midwest Region vs. Samford: Seattle (as of Jan. 17)

T3 Bracketology: 5/6-seed (as of Jan. 9).

Michigan basketball scores last week

Jan 15: 84-81 OT loss at Minnesota — The Wolverines were atop the Big Ten while Minnesota was at the bottom, yet that didn’t stop the Gophers from pulling off one of the bigger upsets of conference play to date. Michigan led by 11 early in the second half before Minnesota used a 10-0 run to erase it and force a back-and-forth game the rest of the way. U-M had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but a Tre Donaldson layup came up short and it went to OT. In the extra period, the game was tied at 81 when Dawson Garcia hit a game-winning 40-footer at the buzzer to stun the Wolverines. Danny Wolf finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists (making up for his six turnovers), while Goldin added 18 points and eight rebounds, Will Tschetter scored 15, and Donaldson had 14 points with five assists.

Jan 19: 80-76 OT win vs. Northwestern — Michigan flirted with disaster for the second consecutive game in a row, but was able to escape a game that officiating completely destroyed on both sides. Northwestern lost its point guard who already had 19 points mid-way through the second half on a questionable flagrant two, then after U-M had appeared to seal the game-clinching rebound, Goldin was assessed for a technical foul for his elbow happening to hit an opponent in the head because he is taller. Donaldson again had a game-winning layup attempt as time expired that missed, but this time Michigan survived the extra frame behind clutch free throw shooting (making 9 of 10. Goldin scored 31 points, Nimari Burnett added 13 and Roddy Gayle Jr. and Donaldson both scored 10.

How NCAA tournament committee selects at-large teams

Record: The team’s overall record, conference record and nonconference record.

Strength of schedule: The strength of the opponents the team played against.

Head-to-head results: The results of games between the teams being compared.

Conference championships: Whether a conference championship was won in the regular season or tournament.

Common opponents: The results of games against common opponents.

Adjusted Net Efficiency (NET): The NCAA’s preferred metric measuring a team’s overall performance during the regular season.

Team Value Index: A results-oriented component of the NET that ranks teams based on who they beat and where they played.

Rating Percentage Index (RPI): A formula that ranks teams using a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ success and opponents’ strength of schedule.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball March Madness bracketology update: Where it stands