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Michigan bracketology update: Where Wolverines stand after Purdue win

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•about 9 hours•

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Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

The Michigan Wolverines have advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, where they will take on the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Friday night’s win over Purdue stopped a late-season slide and helped the Wolverines recapture some momentum heading into the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Heading into Saturday’s semifinal game, Michigan is on the 5-seed line on Bracket Matrix, with an average projection of 5.36 in 104 qualified brackets. The matrix updated just after noon eastern on Saturday.

One would think that three-straight Quad 1 wins to end the year would bolster U-M’s standing, but that will be determined Sunday when the selection committee meets to select its field of 68. After Friday’s win, U-M is now 10-7 in Quad 1 games this season.

Here is a roundup of what some key national outlets are saying about Michigan heading into Saturday.

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Joe Lunardi, ESPN

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his projections on Saturday morning with Michigan as a No. 5 seed out in Seattle, taking on 12-seed Liberty as part of the East Region. A win would earn them the right to play the winner No. 4 Iowa State or No. 13 Akron in the Round of 32. The top three seeds in that region are Duke, Tennessee and Maryland. The games in Seattle will take place at Climate Pledge Arena, home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

The CBS Sports analyst has Michigan as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region, heading to Denver to take on the No. 12 seed Liberty. Winner of that game would get whoever emerges from a proposed No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 13 Yale matchup in the Round of 32. The top three seeds in that region are Houston, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, respectively. Games in Denver will take place at Ball Arena.

Andy Buttons, Inside The Hall

Buttons has a near-identical projection as Palm with Michigan playing Liberty in a 5-12 matchup in the Midwest region. However, he has Wisconsin playing Yale instead of Texas A&M.

James Fletcher, On3

On3’s James Fletcher is a bit lower on Michigan than the national average, tabbing Michigan as a No. 6 seed in the East Region and kicking things off in Providence, Rhode Island. In his projection, U-M would play the winner of a South Dakota State/North Carolina play-in game. Getting past that game would put them in line for a showdown with either No. 3 St. John’s or No. 14 UNC Wilmington. Duke and Michigan State are the top two seeds in the East Region in his projection, respectively. Games in Providence will take place at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Bart Torvik

Torvik’s projections do not give projected matchups or site assignments, but he has Michigan as a No. 6 seed along with Ole Miss, Kansas and UCLA. The projection was updated at 10:59 a.m. on Saturday morning.

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