Bracketology: Michigan Basketball In Serious Trouble

Okay, the title isn't exactly Earth-shattering news. Juwan Howard and his Wolverines have struggled mightily at times this season and don't really have any quality wins to speak of. On the other hand, the Wolverines definitely have some really bad losses — Arizona State and Central Michigan immediately come to mind. 

Obviously there's a ton of season left, and in the Big Ten there are ample opportunities to pick up Quad 1 wins, but it's not going to happen with U-M playing up and down. Throw in the fact that super frosh Jett Howard is out right now with a bum ankle and you have a potential recipe for a pretty poor season.

ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi isn't necessarily the end-all, be-all when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, but he's usually pretty good at predicting who's in and who's out. As of right now, Michigan isn't even a blip on the radar when it comes to looking at the potential field of 68.

Michigan obviously has no business being mentioned in this part of the article, but this section illustrates how frustrating the Wolverines can be. Howard's squad just went toe to toe with top overall seed Purdue, losing 75-70, without Jett Howard. The game was in Ann Arbor, but on paper, the Wolverines shouldn't have had a chance without Howard. 

Again, no mention of Michigan in terms of being close — either on the outside looking in or the inside looking out. We do see Big Ten teams Maryland, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State on the list, which is also interesting. Michigan drilled Maryland by 35 in Ann Arbor, but recently fell to the Terps in College Park. The Wolverines are 1-0 against Penn State after a 10-point win in Ann Arbor and will actually play the Nittany Lions again tomorrow in State College. Michigan hasn't played either Ohio State or Wisconsin, but will face the Buckeyes once and the Badgers twice over the next month. As outlined earlier — plenty of opportunities for quality wins. It's also worth noting that Kentucky and Arizona State are on this list. Both teams beat Michigan earlier this season.

When looking at the entire bracket, a Michigan fan can't help but be bummed. On one hand, this team has been pretty bad at times this year. On the other hand, there are plenty of teams projected to make the tournament that Michigan has beat and could beat. Right now, it's about try to find some consistency — a concept that's been somewhat lost under Juwan Howard. We've seen the lack of consistency plenty of times this year and certainly did last year as the team alternated between wins and losses for the final two months of the season basically before making a nice run in the tourney. 

And that's what everything boils down to — just getting in. With a junior force like Hunter Dickinson, and other talented players on the roster, like Howard, combo guard Kobe Bufkin and veteran scrapper Terrance Williams II, Michigan should be good enough to at least get in. Once there, roll the balls out and see what happens. As of right now, Michigan is going to be watching the tourney from home, which would be a massive disappointment for Howard and Co. in year No. 4.