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NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: 5 Teams That Need Help

By Nathan Giese

Feb 13, 2016; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall speaks with an official about a call during a game with the the Northern Iowa Panthers at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Rohman/USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall speaks with an official about a call during a game with the the Northern Iowa Panthers at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Rohman/USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) receives congratulations from guard Zak Irvin (21) after making a free throw in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Crisler Center. Michigan won 61-56. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) receives congratulations from guard Zak Irvin (21) after making a free throw in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Crisler Center. Michigan won 61-56. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Michigan Wolverines

Caris LeVert made his return to the lineup on Saturday for Michigan’s win over Purdue. Though he only played 11 minutes and attempted just one shot, just having him on the court may be enough for the Wolverines.

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Michigan is a very odd study. They were 11-3 before LeVert’s injury. Since then, they’ve gone just 7-4 but picked up their most impressive win of the season, knocking off Maryland at home. Add that on to the win over Purdue and the Wolverines have something rather similar to LSU, but have one key fact in their corner.

Even though they have seven losses on the year, every single one of them has come against teams currently in the top 50 in RPI. Most of them came by double digits, so that’s not ideal, but being able to say that they came without your top scorer, rebounder and playmaker does help come selection time.

Unlike some of these other teams, Michigan can help itself out more than it would be helped by other teams simply losing games. Their remaining schedule consists of road games at Ohio State, Maryland and Wisconsin and a home meeting with Iowa. Sweeping the season series with the Terrapins and splitting with Iowa would do wonders for their tournament profile.

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With LeVert back, the Wolverines have another offensive weapon to go with Duncan Robinson and Zak Irvin. As a team, Michigan is 11th in the nation in three-point shooting, and while it may sometimes be a smokescreen, being able to put up points from deep can go a long way in getting those big games.

Especially now that Wisconsin is creating an enticing at-large profile of its own, Michigan could really use some big wins late in the season.