The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"They certainly have flaws," Mc- Cormick said. "Their post defense is not great. Their defensive rebounding could be a lot better. But they have a system that is hard to cover. Every- body in the Big Ten has great respect when they build their scouting report to stop Michigan. "You can say, 'We're going to take away the three-point line,' but it's a lot easier to say that than to actually do it." Michigan got taken away from The Big Dance last year. The Wolverines don't intend to go that route again, and shouldn't, pending the biggest scouting report of all … the medical updates. ❏ Wolverines Looking To Build A Résumé Michigan appears headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six years under John Beilein. That's the view five games into the Big Ten season. The Wolverines, 13-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play through Jan. 17, scored a huge win over No. 3 Maryland on Jan. 12 at Crisler Center. They've also beaten Texas and North Carolina State, and face a host of résumé-building contests to come. Beilein's crew stood No. 39 in ESPN's replication of the Ratings Power Index (RPI) standings through a handful of Big Ten contests. Maryland was No. 11 and Texas No. 27, giving the Wolverines two top-50 RPI wins. U-M's losses have included ones to Xavier, No. 3 on the RPI list, SMU at No. 6, Iowa at No. 9, Purdue at No. 32 and Connecticut at No. 64. The Wolverines face Iowa again in the final game of the regular season at Crisler Center, and they get other top-50 chances versus Maryland, Michigan State (No. 15), Purdue and Indiana (No. 47). CBS Sports recently pegged Beilein's team for a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tour- nament, projecting the Wolverines to take on No. 10 seed Gonzaga in the East Regional in Raleigh, N.C. Of course, those spots are shots in the dark, but they give a feel for present standing. ESPN's most recent bracketology flipped the script, pegging the Wolverines as the No. 10 seed in the West Regional at St. Louis, taking on No. 7 seed Gonzaga. Kenpom.com has Michigan at No. 31 in the nation through Jan. 17. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery praised the Wolverines in the days leading up to their showdown in Iowa City, noting Beilein's team could be a special one upon senior guard Caris LeVert's return. LeVert has shown some progress in getting back, but U-M has held up fairly well without him. The Wolverines beat Maryland, and stayed in tough road games at Iowa and Purdue until the closing moments. LeVert represents a key piece of the puzzle for Beilein's crew to make a move toward one of the higher tournament seeds, but barring another rash of injuries, Michigan looks headed for the dance hall. — John Borton