Bracket Watch: 2023 Championship Week Preview

Tony Natoci is back this year to provide bracket updates as needed as we lead up to the NCAA Tournament. Natoci, who correctly predicted Michigan’s seed and first round opponent in last year’s NCAA Tournament, publishes his own bracket at Heartbreak City and will outline where Michigan stands in current bracketology models, both in his own bracket and notable national brackets, along with updates and insights about the process, key bubble games to watch, and more.

A good friend once told me that there’s only one date on the calendar that’s also a complete sentence: March Fourth. Seeing as we’re only a few days removed from that date, I figure we can still celebrate it. And it also serves as a timely call to action for players, coaches, and fans of the Michigan men’s basketball program: keep moving forward. Yes, I know, the overtime losses of this past week were agonizing – I didn’t name my Bracketology site “Heartbreak City” for nothing, after all. But the past is the past, and as Michigan heads to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament, there is still work to be done to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. And as things stand, here’s how I see it:

• Two wins gets the Wolverines squarely back into the thick of the conversation. They’d be right on the cutline, vulnerable to bid thieves and other bubble teams winning, but it gives them a chance on Selection Sunday.
• Three wins gets them 85-90% in. It’s not an unassailable position, but it’s pretty darn close. 
• Four wins: Conference auto-bid.
• Zero wins or one win: Better luck next year.

Difficult, yes, but far from impossible. Let’s break down the scenarios, the rest of the bubble, and put this coming weekend in perspective.