NITology: U-M a 6 seed at Old Dominion

Submitted by DISCUSS Man on

Bracket Matrix has released their first NITology.

Michigan is slotted as a 6 seed and has them heading to 3 seed Old Dominion in the first round

http://www.bracketmatrix.com/PDFS/NIT150213.pdf

Another NITology had Michigan as the last 2 seed in the NIT last week. Now they're the last 3 seed and would be facing 6 seed Creighton in the first round.

http://www.dratings.com/predictor/bracketology/

Wolverine Devotee

February 15th, 2015 at 8:16 PM ^

If it comes down to the CBI, I'll be very annoyed if they don't accept the invite.

More experience will not hurt this team. 

Moe

February 15th, 2015 at 9:37 PM ^

No they will not accept a CBI bid. And I've never bought this argument that 3 games against crap competition will help players on the team. You know what will help them? Extra time in the weight room in the offseason instead of a joke tourney like the CBI

bronxblue

February 15th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^

I'd rather the team play actual basketball, with actual stakes, than this amorphous "weight room" time they'd probably still be involved in whenever they get eliminated.  I know there's this idea that athletes get stronger in the offseason, but lots of that is due to simply getting older and spending more time engaged in their sport, and playing officially-sanctioned basketball gives their coaches more and sustained access to these players than some junior assistant watching over them in the weightroom.

Wolverine Devotee

February 15th, 2015 at 9:55 PM ^

I'm sure winning the CBI in 2010 didn't help VCU whatsoever the following year when they went to the Final Four. 

It's experience. It's playing time. In actual basketball games. Michigan could get a maximum of six extra games if they go to game 3 of the championship series.

Moe

February 15th, 2015 at 10:07 PM ^

This tourney is such a joke they play a best of 3 at the end. You know where you get experience? Now, in the B1G on the road in tough environments. Not playing our sisters of the poor in a half full arena in a meaningless game. CBI is a joke, and Michigan wouldn't embarrass themselves by playing in it

tbeindit

February 16th, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^

As a fan, I would rather see Michigan play in the CBI or NIT over not going to the postseason, but the argument of "more experience" doesn't hold up to me.

Penn State was in the CBI last year and is a fringe NIT team this year and Minnesota won the NIT last year and is projected go back there again.  On the contrary, Indiana declined their CBI bid and are projected as a #7 seed in the NCAA Tournament right now.  These are just 3 examples, but go back and look and you will see similar things.  There really hasn't been any trend for CBI or NIT postseason success equating to success in the next season.

I don't think more playing time would hurt this team, but as others have pointed out, in the long run, taking time off to heal, hitting the weight room, and scrimmaging our own team might be more productive than games against teams like Old Dominion.

It also could give the staff more time to recruit as well.  I know we're not talking about much extra time, but if it means we can reel in a guy like Jaylen Brown, I would take that over any CBI or NIT bid 10 times over.

Michigan4Harbaugh

February 15th, 2015 at 8:34 PM ^

Not another win on the schedule? Are you serious? 2 home games vs our biggest rivals, at NW and home vs Rutgers. At MD will be tough. Believe. Go Blue!

Justjoshnya

February 15th, 2015 at 9:02 PM ^

Anyone else feel like this team at least has a chance of making a run in the big ten tournament and getting into the dance? They've had so many close losses, it's not like we've been getting blown out. With each game the freshman get more experience and Derrick Walton might be back by then. Just hoping there's a small chance we won't have to watch the NIT..

DCGrad

February 15th, 2015 at 9:04 PM ^

usually gets games on TV right? What about the CBI? I guess if we play ODU that game should be on the Mid Atlantic Sports Network (sorry non-DC folks).

Wolverine Devotee

February 15th, 2015 at 9:15 PM ^

AXS TV is the traditional home of the CBI.

Michigan would most likely have their games on there so the network could grab viewers and knowledge of the network's existence.

Michigan actually played two games on that channel a few years ago in 2010-11 in the Legends Classic when it was in Atlantic City. It was THJ's freshman year and Michigan pushed a ranked Syracuse team until the end. Back then the network was known as HDNet.

It's channel 382 in SE Michigan on comcast. 

Also: Michigan will play games on AXS TV next year. They will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis early season tournament.

goblue16

February 16th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^

There have been but the nit used to 40 teams. PSU got an nit bid with a 15-17 record in the mid 2000s. They brought back the number of teams from 40 to 32 so this wouldn't happen. There is almost 0% chance a team with a losing record can make the nit today. Remember IU ended last season 17-15 and didn't make the nit

Danwillhor

February 16th, 2015 at 12:54 AM ^

but how many games do we have to win to run the conference tourney? Just like THE tourney, it's about getting hot at the right time. It's about luck & hitting a very small steak of wins. When on, we can hit the outside shot! I'm not saying it's happening (I'd give us a 5% chance being generous) but crazier things have happened. Until we're not going to the tourney, I won't consider the NIT or CBI. When we're out I will. Sadly, I think it's tourney or CBI & many think it's worse to play in it than not. We'll see.

chatster

February 16th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^

Two weeks ago, an NIT bid for Michigan seemed realistic.  Four straight losses later, this year’s NIT could be a longshot for Michigan.  They probably need to finish no worse than one game under .500 to be considered for the NIT.
 
The Wolverines currently are ninth in the Big Ten at 6-7. Michigan State, at 8-4, is currently fourth in the conference, so this week’s game will be especially important for each team. A Michigan win could save the Wolverines from being among the bottom four team that will play in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. 
 
Losing the final five games to finish with nine straight losses could doom Michigan to 11th place in the conference and a matchup with the 14th seed in the opening round of the conference tournament. The winner of that game would play the 6th seed in the quarterfinals.
 
A Michigan State win would tie the Spartans with Maryland and Purdue for second place in the Big Ten at 9-4, three losses behind Wisconsin’s 11-1 record.
 
The 16-team, not-ready-for-prime-time CBI field usually includes no more than three teams from the major conferences. Penn State (in 2014) and Purdue (in 2013) are the only Big Ten teams to have played in that tournament since it began in 2008.  It’s a pay-to-play tournament with minimal exposure, but comes with a chance to play as many as six extra games, because the championship round is a best-of-three event.
 
It would be a tough call for the coaching staff to accept a bid to the CBI tournament, because a loss in the opening round could be devastating for the team’s psyche, especially if the worst happens, and it would mean that the team finished the season on a ten-game losing streak. The university probably would have to offer free tickets or charge no more than $2.00 or $3.00 a ticket (maybe with half the proceeds going to charity) to the opening round game in order to draw more than a couple of thousand fans to the game. (Penn State drew 2,118 to its opening round game in 2014; Purdue drew 3,046 to its opening round game and 3,629 to its second-round game in 2013.)