ESPN, CBS Sports reseed Sweet 16: Michigan red-hot – The Detroit News
Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the country, and obviously one of just 16 vying for a national championship. But, one of the best teams?
Depends on which experts you follow.
ESPN has Michigan (26-11) at No. 5 in its reseeding ahead of the Sweet Sixteen after Michigan’s 73-69 victory over Louisville, with writer Myron Medcalf calling the Wolverines “a legit threat to reach the Final Four in a Midwest Region that seems perfect for a team like coach John Beilein’s.”
“The Wolverines registered 92 points against an Oklahoma State squad that ranked first in adjusted offensive efficiency entering the NCAA tournament,” Medcalf wrote. “Then, they collected 1.18 points per possession against a Louisville defense ranked among the top-10 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
“Any thoughts that Michigan can excel only if it’s hot from the perimeter were put to rest when it hit just six 3-pointers but finished with 40 points in the paint against a Louisville frontcourt with four players standing 6-foot-9 or taller.”
The Wolverines aren’t as high in CBS Sports’ reseeding, though there’s reasons for that, Matt Norlander writes.
Michigan is the No. 13 seed in what Norlander calls “one of the strongest second-weekend groups ever, even with No. 1 overall Villanova out and odds-on title favorite Duke now gone as well.”
Michigan, riding a seven-game winning streak and having won nine of its last 10, checks in one spot behind Oregon (31-5), its opponent in Thursday’s Midwest Region semifinal. The Ducks are also No. 12 in ESPN’s reseeding.
“Feel foolish putting Michigan this low, but I have to take the whole season into account,” Norlander writes. “There were times when this team looked really bad. Now it looks like one of the five best teams in the country. This placement is a balance of all that. Wolverines are the team nobody wants to face right now. Oregon, are you ready?”
Michigan, the No. 7 seed in the Midwest, is one spot ahead of Wisconsin, which it defeated in the Big Ten tournament title game March 12. Purdue, the third Big Ten team remaining in the NCAA Tournament, is No. 10 in CBS Sports’ reseeding.
ESPN has Wisconsin seed third, and Purdue 15th in its reseeding.