After a fuzzy season, Michigan enters the Big Ten tournament at No. 8, which sits firmly on the tournament bubble. If Wolverines start the Big Ten tournament against Indiana, number 9, on Thursday morning, The Daily men’s basketball victory predicts the fate of Michigan and who will take home the title.
How’s Michigan?
Josh Taubman: Defeat in the quarterfinals
I know Michigan has gone to an impressive level not to win two games in a row, but I just think the Wolverines come out more motivated and beat the Indiana team that doesn’t have a real offense. However, I think it’s about up to Michigan. I wish they were better against some other teams, but the first seeded Illinois is just loaded with talent – and too much to contain the shortcomings of the Wolverines team. Michigan keeps it close but makes it to the quarterfinals. However, I think they are doing enough to not sweat, earning a spot in the NCAA tournament next week.
Nick Table: Defeat in the quarterfinals
Look how inconsistent Michigan, Indiana is not a good basketball team. Since the first meeting of the teams in January in the “Husseres” number 4-8. On the same stretch in Wolverine 9-6. For both teams, this game has serious implications for the NCAA tournament, for Indiana even more so than for Michigan. I don’t really relate to the story of “desperate teams play better,” so I think Wolverines take their first game simply because they’re the best team. The same can be said about the round they come out. Illinois is the best team and it will do so on Friday by sending Michigan home to wait for Sunday’s qualifiers and find out where it will end.
Jack Kingsley: Defeat in the quarterfinals
As everyone knows, Michigan has not won a game in a row. But the last time they won two in a row, one of the teams was Penn State – a bad team. Indiana is also a bad team, especially over the last month. Wolverines also go well with Hoosiers. Indiana has no shooters to use Michigan on the perimeter, and Wolverine has a response to forward Trace-Jackson Davis in center-back Hunter Dickinson. I don’t see Michigan beating Illinois, however. The last time the two teams met, the Illinois tore apart the Raamahi, and in the first meeting of the two teams the only reason Michigan was in the game for the most part was due to an uncharacteristically bad Illinois night. Wolverines will fail this time as well.
Spencer Raines: Defeat in the semifinals
Look, to do that, Michigan would have to win not one, not two, but three games in a row – almost unthinkable. But listen to me, Wolverines can’t beat two good teams in a row, right? Well, here are some calculations: Michigan can’t beat the two good teams in a row, as has been shown over the last month, but if you look at the schedule before that, the Wolverines can win several games in a row if their opponents are not all “good” teams. It all comes down to how you look at Indiana and how a “good” team counter affects Michigan. Is it reset after Wolverine defeated a bad team? Is Indiana a bad team? All the right questions. In this case, I think Hoosiers qualify as bad and that the counter is reset. So if Michigan wins a good team and then a bad team, Wolverines can beat a good team again. In conclusion, Michigan beat Indiana, then Illinois, but lost to Iowa in the semifinals. It’s really simple math.
Who will win the Big Ten tournament?
Taubman: Purdue
Stall: Iowa
Kingsley: Iowa
Raines: Purdue
Who is the MVP of the tournament?
Taubman: Trevion Williams
Stall: Keegan Murray
Kingsley: Keegan Murray
Raines: Jaden Ivy