Michigan's NCAA tournament bracket has one serious threat for a Final Four trip

Michigan head coach Dusty May arrives for Big Ten Tournament final at United Center in Chicago on Sunday, March 15, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesDespite a disappointing loss to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament championship game, the Wolverines received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, although it wasn't the No 1 overall seed.

Duke was awaded that. Michigan will have to play on Thursday, which is something Dusty May wanted to avoid. That probably wasn't going to happen because of the head-to-head loss to the Blue Devils.

The Wolverines are in the Midwest regional. They will play the winner of UMBC and Howard. Those two teams will meet in one of the First Four games.

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