Big Ten-champion Michigan gets No. 5 seed in NCAA Tournament

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Mar 16, 2025

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INDIANAPOLIS — What a difference a year makes.

At this time last March, Michigan’s season was already over. There was no reason to tune into Selection Sunday after a miserable 8-24 campaign that set a single-season program record for losses.

Fast forward to this Sunday, and the Wolverines already knew their fate before the NCAA Tournament bracket was officially revealed — for the exact opposite reason.

A remarkable turnaround in Year 1 of Dusty May’s tenure led to Michigan putting an end to its two-year absence in March Madness with a Big Ten Tournament title and making the 68-team field as the No. 5 seed in the South Region, where it will face No. 12 seed UC-San Diego on Thursday in Denver.

The Wolverines (25-9) were a lock to make the NCAA Tournament after being ranked in the top 25 for a total of 11 weeks and as high as No. 12 during the season. They were in the hunt for the Big Ten regular-season title until the final week and finished tied for second in the conference standings.

After entering the postseason on a three-game skid, Michigan righted the ship with three wins in three days against Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin to capture the program's fourth Big Ten tournament championship.

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