The Michigan Men’s Basketball team used their Big Ten Tournament Championship to propel them to an incredible March Madness run. Despite coming into the tournament as the #3 seed in the western bracket, Michigan advanced all the way to the National Championship game, with wins against Montana, Houston, Texas A&M, Florida State and Loyola.
The strong defense was key to Michigan’s success, as they were able to hold three of their opponents to some of their worst offensive performances of the season. Although this Michigan team has struggled to find consistency on offense, they always found a way to get things done in the tournament. Against Texas A&M, their offense looked unstoppable, shooting nearly 60% and scoring 99 points.
Another strength for the Wolverines was their strong work ethic and the depth of their bench. Redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews averaged a team-best 16.5 points per game during the tournament. The Wolverines also saw double-digit scoring performances from Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman, Zavier Simpson, Duncan Robinson, Moritz Wagner, and Charles Matthews and had three different players lead the team in scoring.
Despite coming up short on Monday night against Villanova, losing 62-79, the team had an incredible season, and made their mark on Michigan basketball history.
The Michigan hockey team has also made an incredible run this post-season and is headed to the Frozen Four for the 25th time in the history of the program. After starting the season 8-10-2, the team made an incredible push in the second half of the season and became an unlikely contender in the tournament. In his inaugural season with the Wolverines, coach Mel Pierson is looking to bring the program its first championship title since 1998.
Led by team captain Tony Calderone, the men’s hockey team defeated Northeastern with a 3-2 win in the first round of the tournament. They then took on Boston University in the NCAA Regional finals, coming away with and impressive 6-3 win. The Big Ten conference will be well represented in the Frozen Four this year as three of the teams, Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, give the league the first chance at the national title.
Michigan will take on Big Ten Champion Notre Dame in the national semifinal at 9:30pm on Thursday, April 5th. They hope to advance to the championship game on Saturday, April 7th.