Wolverines Earn #4 Seed in NCAA Tournament

After a weekend of upsets, heartbreaks and the conclusion of all the conference tournaments, we now know the 68 teams that will compete in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and have a shot at a national championship. The 68 team bracket which is divided in to four regions was released on Sunday night, and our Michigan Wolverines were honoured with the #4 seed in the Midwest Region and are now on a collision course with the #13 seeded champions of the Mid American Conference (MAC), the Ohio Bobcats. The game will take place Friday, March 16th in Nashville Tennessee. The winner of this game will have a third round matchup with the winner of #5 seeded Temple and the winner of the play in game between South Florida and California. Many people had Michigan locked in as a #3 seed in the tournament, however after struggling to knock off Minnesota in overtime, and then getting run out of the gym by Ohio State in the Big 10 Tournament semi-finals, the Wolverines slipped to the #4 slot. Now that we know who Michigan will square off with in their second round matchup, I will now give a preview of the MAC champion Ohio Bobcats and I will predict how the game will shape out.

Ohio Bobcats

The Bobcats finished the season with a 27-7 overall record and an 11-5 conference record. This was good enough for them to place third in the Eastern division of the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats then propelled themselves in to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament after reeling off three straight victories over Buffalo, Toledo and finally, knocking off Akron in the championship game. There has only been one common opponent between Michigan and Ohio this year, and that opponent was the University of Oakland. Ohio beat Oakland 84-82 while the Wolverines beat Oakland 90-80. The Bobcats are lead by their junior guard D.J. Cooper(pictured right) who averages 14.6 points per game and 5.7 assists per game, leading the team in both categories. There are a few things about this Ohio team that could really cause Michigan to struggle. First off the Bobcats are an extremely good offensive rebounding team. They grabbed 433 offensive rebounds on the season, an average of 12.7 per game. Since the Wolverines are smaller team, who really lacks a dominant rebounder inside, the Wolverines need to make sure they put a body on someone when shots go up and not allow Ohio players to crash the boards. Also, as we know, Michigan is a team who loves to shoot the 3-ball. The Bobcats have played excellent perimeter defence all year and only allow their opponents to shoot 29.7% shooting from beyond the arch this season. Michigan will have to utilize the shot fake to try and create and open up lanes where Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. will be able to drive to the bucket. This inside pressure will allow for more open, and better percentage shots from the outside. However on the flip side, there are some things about this team that Michigan can take advantage of. First off is the fact that the Bobcats are very susceptible to turnovers. They average 13.3 turnovers per game, so if Michigan can turn up the full court pressure, they will be able to generate some turnovers in the back court which will lead to easy transition buckets. Also the Bobcats struggle from the free throw line. As a team, Ohio shoots just 68% from the free throw line, and has only one player who shoots better than 75% from the stripe. Therefore, if Michigan gets caught out of position on defence, hard fouls that prevent the Bobcats from scoring and sending them to the line may be an efficient strategy for the Wolverines. As much as I like the Bobcats, I feel that they just do not have the offensive fire power to be able to match the Wolverines, and if Michigan can start to heat up from the field, look for them to run away with this one.

Prediction: Michigan- 65 Ohio- 53

As the last part of this blog I will now provide you with the top 4 seeds from each region for this years NCAA Tournament:
South Region
#1 Kentucky (#1 overall seed)
#2 Duke
#3 Baylor
#4 Indiana

East Region
#1 Syracuse (#2 overall seed)
#2 Ohio State
#3 Florida State
#4 Wisconsin

West Region
#1 Michigan State (#3 overall seed)
#2 Missouri
#3 Marquette
#4 Louisville

Midwest Region
#1 North Carolina (#4 overall seed)
#2 Kansas
#3 Georgetown
#4 Michigan

For the complete bracket filled with all 68 teams and all the matchups check out this link!
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket

Be sure to check back later in the week for my full prediction of this years NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament.

Big 10 Tournament Preview

With the start of the Big 10 Tournament just one day away, today I will present a special preview of the first round matchups in the Big 10 Tournment, predictions for these games, and how I think Michigan will do in this years tournament. The Wolverines finished their regular season on Sunday with a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions 66-62. With the win the Wolverines finished with a 13-5 conference record, and because Ohio State was able to beat Michigan State on the same day, Michigan was awarded a share of the Big 10 regular season title. The day marked the first time Michigan was Big 10 regular season champions since 1986! The Wolverines shared the honour with Ohio State and Michigan State. However through a tie breaker Michigan State was awarded the #1 seed in the Big 10 Tournament, with Michigan getting the #2 seed, followed by Ohio State at #3. Since the Big 10 Tournament format states that the top 4 seeds recieve a first round bye in th tournament, #4 Wisconsin also gets a free pass in to the 2nd round of the tournament. The first round of the Big 10 tournament shapes out as follows:

#5 Indiana                   
#12 Penn State

#6 Purdue
#11 Nebraska

#7 Northwestern
#10 Minnesota

#8 Iowa

#9 Illinois

#5 Indiana Vs. #12 Penn State, Thursday, March 8th, 2pm:

This game really should be a cake walk for the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers have had an excellent season with great wins over Ohio State, Michigan, and they also handed the Kentucky Wildcats their own loss of the season. Indiana is the highest scoring team in the Big 10, averaging 77.5 points per game and is lead by Freshman big man Cody Zeller (pictured on right). Zeller is averaging 15 points per game to go along with 6 rebounds. Zeller is surrounded by a plethera of shooters including Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls who are deadly from 3 point range. On the other hand, Penn State struggled through yet another Big 10 season and finished last in the conference. Their only bright spot from their 2012 season was senior guard Tim Frazier. He averaged 19 points and 6 assists on the season, and if the Nittany Lions have even a hope of winning this game, Frazier will have to have a huge night. Don't count on it, the Hoosiers will win big and get ready for a match up with Wisconsin in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Indiana 76- Penn State 58

#6 Purdue Vs. #11 Nebraska, Thursday, March 8th, 8pm:

The Boilermakers have really started to come on late in the season. They have won 5 of their last 7 games heading in to the conference tournament and one of those wins came in Ann Arbour on Senior Night over Michigan. Purdue is considered to be one of those teams that are "on the bubble" for the NCAA Tournament and really need a win or two in the conference tournament to secure their spot in the field of 64. Purdue senior's Robbie Hummel (pictured on right) and Lawrence Jackson are leading the way for the Boliermakers, Hummel is leading the team in scoring with 17 points per game, and rebounding with 7 per game. Nebraska's first basketball season as part of the Big 10 didn't go so well. They finished 4-14 in the conference and really only had one noteworthy win this season which was their win over Indiana. Purdue should be able to run away with this one and earn a birth in the 2nd round against Ohio State.

Prediction: Purdue 73- Nebraska 60

#7 Northwestern Vs. #10 Minnesota, Thursday, March 8th, 5:30pm:

Northwestern is another team within the Big 10 that is fighting for its NCAA Tournament lives. Northwestern was a decent team in the Big 10 this year, but they are another team with only one notable win on the season. However if they are able to win a few games within the Big 10 Tournament they will also have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are lead by Northwestern all time leading scorer John Shurna (pictured right) who is averaging 20 points per game on the season. It was a difficult season for the Golden Gophers of Minnesota this season. Early in their season, Minnesota lost their best player and leader in Trevor Mbakwe to a knee injury that limited him to only 7 games this season. However Mbawke is back for the Big 10 Tournament and the Golden Gophers are sure to be charged up for this one. However I think that Northwestern has more to play for in this game and will squeak out a victory.

Prediction: Northwestern 60- Minnesota 56

#8 Iowa Vs. #9 Illinois, Thursday, March 8th, 11:30am:

This matchup may be the most intriguing matchup of the first round. Iowa is a team who seemed to improve as the Big 10 season went on, while Illinois is a team who seemed to get worse. Illinois played excellent at the beginning of the season with huge wins over ranked opponents Gonzaga and Ohio State. However the Fighting Illini finished the Big 10 season losing 11 of 13 games and has completely slipped out of contention for an NCAA Tournament bid. The key to this game will be the matchup at shooting guard. Iowa senior Matt Gatens leads the Hawkeyes with 16 points per game while his counterpart Brandon Paul (pictured right) is leading Illinois in scoring with 15 points per game. In think that a slumping Illinois team that is lacking confidence will come out slow and Iowa will capitalize.

Prediction: Iowa 52- Illinois 51

The Wolverines await the winner of the first round matchup between Northwestern and Minnesota in the Big 10 tournament. Michigan will play its quarter-final game Friday night at 6:30pm in Indianapolis. As the #2 seed in the tournament, the Wolverines have an excellent opportunity to make it all the way this year, and could possibly boost their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines currently sit as the #13 team in the country and a most likely #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State is the clear favourite to win the Big 10 Tournament but Michigan is primed for a run at the title. The Wolverines are likely to face the Northwestern Wildcats in the quarter-final game, a team they have alredy beaten twice this season. If the Wolverines play push the ball and hit their open shots, theyn should cruise in to the semi-finals.

Be sure to check back soon for more Big 10 Tournament coverage!

First Video

Alright everyone here is my first video! In this video I will discuss Michigan's great victory over rival Ohio State. Also I will talk about how Purdue was able to come in to Ann Arbor and knock off the Wolverines. Finally I will shout out Michigan's seniopr captain's Stu Douglass and Zack Novak.

First Podcast

Alright everyone, here it is, my first podcast! The topics that will be discussed within this podcast are Michigan's recent victory over the University of Illinois. Then we go in to talks about Michigan's next game on Saturday against their arch rivals from Ohio State. Finally we will talk about what seed Michigan will land in the NCAA Tournament. We also get insight from live callers Brett Bulmer and Taylor Tessier.

Click on the link directly below to view the podcast!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA18-xd7niw

Spartans Get Revenge on Arch Rival Wolverines

Back on January 17th after the Michigan State Spartans had dropped their third straight game to their arch rival Michigan Wolverines, Senior forward Draymond Green claimed it would not happen again in their next matchup on February 5th. Draymond was true to his word as he lead the Spartans passed the Wolverines Sunday afternoon scoring 14 points and adding 16 rebounds and 4 assists in Michigan State's 64-54 victory in East Lansing. All game the Wolverines struggled to crack Michigan State's stingy defense as the Spartans held the Wolverines to 39% shooting from the field. Michigan's best players in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. were held to 11 points and 4 points respectively, easily their worst performances of the year. Leading the way for Michigan was seniopr guard Zack Novak who scored 14 points for the Wolverines. With the victory the Spartans, ranked 12h in the country, now sit in second place in the Big 10 standings with a 7-3 conference record.

Earlier in the week the Wolverines faced a crucial contest at home against the #20 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers had already knocked off the Wolverines in Bloomington a few months ago, so Michigan needed this win at home. The Wolverines had a perfect start to the game as they went 5 for 5 to start the game including two Trey Burke three pointers in a row. That lead to Michigan being up 11 points at the half. In the second half the Hoosiers faught back and brought the defecit down to 2 points, until Tim hardaway Jr hit a huge three pointer to put Michigan up by 5. The Wolverines would go on to win the game by 12 points behind a strong game from Trey Burke who scored 18 for the Wolverines. Michigan now heads in to a Wednesday night battle against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. Nebraska is only 3-8 in Big 10 play, but have knocked off Indiana at home so the Wolverines can not fall asleep on this team. The Wolverines head in to Wednesday nights game just barely hanging on to their top 25 ranking as they sit #25 in the national rankings and 4th in the Big 10 standings with a 7-4 record in the conference.

With the season over half way done, and the NCAA Tournament only a month away, I think its time to start talking about who will be in the tournament and where they will be seeded this year. In this section I will give you my early selections for who I think will be the top 4 seeds in each region.

#1 Seeds:

Kentucky: In my eyes the Wildcats are the best team in the nation and will recieve the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Right now Kentucky sits atop both the Assosiated Press and ESPN top 25 rankings with an astonishing 23-1 record so far this season. The only set back so for for the Wildcats was a 73-72 loss at Indiana back on December 10th. Kentucky is lead by freshman sensation Anthony Davis(pictured on the right) who is sending back opponents shots at an alarming rate averaging 4.8 blocked shots per game! The Wildcats face their toughest test of the season tonight as they take on the #7 ranked Florida Gators in an SEC matchup, Kentucky is currently 9-0 in SEC action.

Ohio State: Ohio State is definately deserving of a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes sit atop possibly the most talented conference in the nation which is the Big 10. Ohio State leads a league that has five nationally ranked teams sitting with an 8-2 record in the conference with wins against Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are lead by All-American forward Jared Sullinger(pictured right) as he leads the Buckeyes in scoring with 17.4 points per game and rebounding with 9.1 per game. The Buckeyes are a scrappy team with tournament experience and can play excellent team defense, look for the to be making a trip to the Final 4 this year.

Syracuse: This is the last of what I think are the three locks to get #1 seeds in this years NCAA tournament. The Orange sit atop a very deep Big East conference and are currently ranked #2 nationally. They are 10-1 in Big East play and 23-1 overall. Syracuse is virtually unbeatable at home but face a tough test at home tonight against the #11 ranked Georgetown Hoyas. I especially like the Orange because they feature some Canadian content. Kris Joseph(pictured right) is a native of Montreal Quebec and is leading the #2 team in the nation in scoring with 13.7 points per game.

Baylor: It was tough for me to choose who I think the last #1 seed will be but I'm gonna have to go with the Baylor Bears. The Bears have put together an impressive body of work so far with a 21-2 record, with their only losses coming in a game at #7 ranked Kansas and a game at home against then ranked #2 Missouri. Baylor still plays each of those teams one more time with a critical game against Kansas coming up tonight. Baylor is lead by Perry Jones III who is averaging 14.8 points per game. If Baylor is not awarded the last # 1 seed look for this spot to stay in the Big 12 with either Kansas or Missouri getting the nod. Don't be surprised to see North Carolina's name pop up here either (even though I don't think they deserve it).


#2 Seeds
Missouri
Florida
North Carolina
Duke
-Duke is the most intriguing of these teams because they play well throughout the season but always seem to fluff out in the NCAA Tournament, even with a high seed. Duke has a history of losing some conference games and will have to win the ACC tournament in order to get this spot. If Duke stumbles, look for Kansas or even Michigan State to jump in here

#3 Seeds
Kansas
Michigan State
Creighton
Georgetown
-You may be surprised to see that I have Creighton here as high as a #3 seed. However I feel that they have excellent shooting ability and can catch fire at any give time which can really help them in the NCAA Tournament. If Creighton can continue to run the table in one of the stronger Mid-major conferences, The Missouri Valley Conference and eventually win the conference tournament, I think they will be a lock for this spot.

#4 Seeds
San Diego State
Murray State
Michigan
UNLV
-Yes i know Murray State is 23-0 and is the only undefeated team left in the nation. How Can I only have them at #4 you ask? Well honestly.....who has Murray State played that is any good this season? They have one win against a Memphis team who was ranked #20 at the time but are no where near that good. Their conference which is the Ohio Valley Conference is one of the weaker Mid-majors in the country and the conference has yet to pose a challenge to Murray State. The Racers have a game against #13 ranked Saint Mary's later this month, that game will truly tell if Murray State belongs up here with the big boys.

Slow start costly for Wolverines in loss to Arkansas

The #20 ranked Michigan Wolverines fell just short in a 66-64 loss to the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday in Fayetteville. Just as I expected, the Razorbacks came out of the gate quickly in front of a season high 19,500 fans. Arkansas started the game hitting their first 11 shots, including 4 three pointers as they jumped out to 29-10 lead. However, despite the poor first half from the Wolverines, they managed to claw back in to the game in the 2nd half. Michigan was facing a two point defecit and had the ball in the hands of outstanding freshman point guard Trey Burke's hands for the final shot of the game. Burke crossed over and fired a three at the buzzer that hit the front of the rim, went half way down, but the ball popped back out and Arkansas won the game as Burke walked off the court in disgust. The win moves the Razorbacks to 14-0 this season at home and 14-5 overall. The Wolverines on the other hand, have yet to win a game on the road this season and fall to 15-5 overall. Arkansas was lead by B.J. Young who scored 15 points and 4 rebounds, Zack Novak countered for the Wolverines with 17 points and 8 rebounds. The road doesn't get any easier for the Wolverines as they head to West Lafayette, Indiana for yet another road test, this time against the 14-6 Purdue Boilermakers. Michigan will have a chance to get its first road win of the season in a pivotal conference matchup as we hit the mid-way point of the season. The Wolverines will have to avoid the slow start that we have been used to seeing from them on the road this season. Arkansas shot 50% from the field on Saturday, the Wolverines can not let Purdue get as many open shots as Arkansas did because the Boilermakers are more then capable of shooting the lights out, lead by senior guard Robbie Hummel. If Michigan can hold their own in the first half and keep the game close, look for them to settle in to the game in the second half and take control. I think the Wolverines are too talented for a weaker Purdue squad this year, and the Wolverines will cruise to their first road win of the season.

My Prediction
Michigan- 76
Purdue- 65

As always, here are the spreads from Vegas for tonights NCAA mens basketball games, with my predictions.

#22Michigan
Purdue- 5.0
-Im surprised that Purdue is favoured for tonights game, and by 5 points! I picked Michigan to win the game, so obviously I think Michigan is a lock to cover this spread.

#6 Baylor- 5.5
Oklahoma
-After Baylor has dropped 2 straight look for them to come out strong this game and win by at least 6 points. Baylor's only losses have come to #5 Missouri and #7 Kansas, so you can't fault the Bears too much, they are #6 in the nation for a reason.

#2 Kentucky- 12.0
Georgia
-Kentucky played well and survived a scare from a very good Alabama team on Saturday. Alabama is much better than a struggling Georgia team, who comes in to this game losers in  3 of their last 4 and are only 1-4 in SEC action. Look for Kentucky to run away with this one.

Tennessee
Vanderbilt- 9.5
-Vanderbilt was as hot as any team in the nation, winning 8 straight games before being cooled off by #15 Mississippi State in OT on Saturday. On the other hand Tennessee had been struggling until they unexpectedly knocked off the #11 Uconn Huskies on Saturday. However I think Vanderbilt is just too much for Tennessee to handle at home.

Wolverines stun Spartans in one point thriller

The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team knocked off arch rival and the #9 ranked Michigan State Spartans 60-59 Tuesday night at Crisler Arena in a game that went down to the final shot. With 6 seconds to go in the game Spartans senior forward Dreymond Green drove to the free throw line and fired a jumper that hit the clanked off the rim, Michigan State had a tip in attempt right at the buzzer that also fell just short. As the buzzer sounded Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr. tossed the basketball in to the air with excitement as the Wolverines defeated their arch rivals for the third straight time, and remain undefeated at home this season. Vital to Michigan's success in this game was the outstanding play of point guard Trey Burke. The freshman out of Columbus, Ohio looked like a veteran as he scored a team high 20 points for the Wolverines on 8 of 11 shooting from the field, and chipped in with 3 assists, one of which came on a Stu Douglass layup late in the game, which put Michigan up for good. Another key to the Michigan victory was the way they played at the defensive end of the court. The continuous switching back and forth between a man-to-man and a 1-3-1 zone defense kept the Spartans off balance and forced them in to 14 turnovers. The two teams will face off again on February 5th, this time in East Lansing. With the victory the Wolverines now climb to second place in the Big 10 with a 5-2 conference record and a 15-4 record overall. Michigan State falls to 4-2 in conference play as the loss was their second conference loss in a row. The Wolverines will now hit the road for a contest with the Arkansas Razorbacks, Saturday in Fayateville. The Razorbacks are just coming off a whooping handed to them by the #2 Kentucky Wildcats, as they coasted to an 86-63 victory. The Razorbacks are 13-5 overall and 2-2 in SEC conference action. Arkansas is lead by junior forward Marshawn Powell, who is averaging 19.5 points and 6 rebounds per game this year. Michigan has had a tendency to start games slow on the road so look for the Razorbacks to try and jump out of the gate quickly and try to build an early lead on Michigan. Expect the Wolverines to counter with continuing to change back and forth between man and zone defenses to prevent Arkansas from getting any type of offensive rhythem going in this game. For Michigan to win however, they will have to do a better job at holding their opponent to a lower field goal shooting percentage.They allowed Michigan State to shoot 48% from the field, it will be tough to win a game on the road, allowing your opponent to shoot that percentage. However, look for Michigan to continue their hot shooting, and get the job done in a tough uncommon non-conference game in the middle of the season. The Wolverines will win but the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks will play tough at home and hang in there in a game that will be a lot closer than many people think.

My prediction:
#20 Michigan -73
Arkansas- 67

For all of you gamblers out there, here are the Vegas lines, and my picks for some of the marquee NCAA basketball matchups tonight (home teams on bottom, my picks are bolded):

Cincinatti
#13 Connecticut -6.5

Texas
#25 Kansas State -5.0

#18 Mississippi State -2.0
Mississippi

Northwestern
Wisconsin -10

Sleeper Pick:
#11 Indiana -3.0
Nebraska
-The Hoosiers are coming off 2 straight in-conference losses and have not played their best basketball on the road this season. On the other hand Nebraska struggles early in the season but are starting to get used to the switch to the Big 10 from the Big 12. Look for the Cornhuskers to come out strong on home court. Nebraska may not win, but I think they will cover the 3 point spread.

I hope this helps everyone out with their picks. GOOD LUCK AND GOOOOOOOOOOO BLUE!