The calendar hasn’t turned from 2024 to 2025, yet already college basketball resumes are being built for March Madness and that includes one for Michigan basketball.
The race for seeding in the NCAA tournament is on and there are several criteria the selection committee looks at in order to make its assessment, in addition to subjective assessments like the “eyeball test.” Among them:
Record: The team’s overall record, conference record, and nonconference record.
Strength of schedule: The strength of the teams 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.
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Michigan missed the postseason the past two seasons under Juwan Howard, including last year when they finished a program-worst 8-24 overall. Each week moving forward, the Free Press will take a look back at the Wolverines’ previous week and assess how their resume has changed and stacks up to the competition.
Michigan basketball results last week
Dec 19: 87-86 loss to Oklahoma at Spectrum Center — It was the most gut-wrenching loss of the year, as the Wolverines led the undefeated Sooners by double digits twice in the second half, yet couldn’t hold on for the victory. U-M was up by three in the final minute, but coughed up a turnover on offense before Roddy Gayle Jr. fouled Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears with 11.5 seconds left as he drilled a deep 3-pointer then added the free throw to give Michigan its second straight loss and an 8-3 record
Dec. 22: 89-58 win over Purdue Fort Wayne — All 10 of the Wolverines who played in Sunday’s first half scored at least three points by the break, U-M made an incredible 21 of its first 25 shots from the floor and led by 25 at the half as Dusty May’s squad hammered an overmatched Purdue Fort Wayne team, 89-58, at Crisler Center. Michigan had a stretch in which it made nine consecutive field goals, another where it made five straight and two others in which it made three in a row, all in the first 20 minutes. and was never really threatened in improving to 9-3.
NET rankings: No. 31 (last week: No. 21)
All rankings entering Sunday’s games.
Quad 1 record: 1-1.
Quad 2 record: 2-0.
Quad 3 record: 3-1.
Quad 4 record: 2-0
KenPom rankings: No. 21 (Last week: No. 20)
All rankings entering Monday.
Offensive efficiency: No. 30.
Defensive efficiency: No. 21.
Bracketology projections
ESPN: 6-seed in South Region: Atlanta (as of Dec. 17).
On3: 11-seed: First Four in Dayton (as of Dec. 18).
T3 Bracketology: 6-seed (as of Dec. 15).
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 NCAA tournament résumé for March Madness
