Michigan’s postseason begins on Thursday (11:30 a.m., BTN) with plenty of storylines. Juwan Howard returns to the bench after his five-game suspension and the Wolverines appear to be one win away from locking down a non-First Four bid to the NCAA Tournament.
They’ll open the Big Ten Tournament in the 8-9 game against Indiana, a team that they handled in Bloomington (80-62) and have knocked off in nine consecutive head-to-head battles. The Hoosiers are playing for their postseason hopes and a loss would all but guarantee that they’ll miss the NCAA Tournament in Mike Woodson’s first year. Despite the stakes, Indiana dropped seven of its last nine regular-season games and hasn’t won against an NCAA Tournament-caliber team since its home upset over Purdue on January 20th.
It’s a pseudo road game and a high-stakes spot for the Wolverines as we enter the single-elimination portion of the schedule that will write the final chapter in a turbulent Michigan season.