Possible Rematches On The Horizon For Michigan

In spite of a 2-3 stretch over their final five games of the season, the Michigan Wolverines received a No. 1 seed in the East Division of the NCAA Tournament. Based on their placement within the tournament, the pathway to the national championship game could include some interesting rematches from the Big Ten regular season.

Before we get into that, here are a few noteworthy pieces of information with the tournament just days away.

Michigan has received a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1993, the same year that Juwan Howard was a sophomore in Ann Arbor.
Juwan Howard is the first individual in NCAA history to play as a No. 1 seed and coach a No. 1 seed program.
The Big Ten conference has the most teams in the tournament with nine. The ACC and the Big 12 have seven each, the SEC has six, the Pac-12 has five and the Big East has four.
Not only did the Big Ten set a conference record with nine teams selected, the conference also fields one of the top two seeds in every region (also a record): No. 1 Illinois (midwest region), No. 1 Michigan (east region), No. 2 Ohio State (south region) and No. 2 Iowa (west region).
Since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985, 22 of the last 35 tournaments have had two teams from the same conference reach the Final Four (63% of the time).

With so many Big Ten teams participating in the tournament this year, the odds of Michigan running into a conference foe on the way to the NCAA championship game are relatively high - leading to some very interesting rematch possibilities. Here’s how it would happen:

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 11 Michigan State - Elite Eight

Both Michigan and Michigan State are in the east region, meaning the two could face off once again if both are able to make it to the Elite Eight. Though a rematch is possible, the pathway to a rematch for the two rival programs is far from easy.

The Wolverines would likely need to deal with No. 4 Florida State, No. 8 LSU or No. 5 Colorado before reaching the Elite Eight. For the Spartans, they’ll need to first win their play-in game against No. 11 UCLA before facing the likes of No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Texas. Regardless of the odds, this is one rematch that the state of Michigan would love to see play out on the national stage.

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 10 Maryland - Elite Eight

In what has become one of the more unexpected rivalries during the 2020-21 season, No. 1 Michigan and No. 10 Maryland could face off once again if both teams are able to reach the Elite Eight. The Wolverines and the Terrapins have locked horns on the hardwood three times this year, with Michigan winning all three contests. Though none of the contests have been all that close, the biggest intrigue with these programs is the chippiness and growing hatred that exists between the two.

Michigan and Maryland last met in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal, where Juwan Howard would end up being tossed from the game after a heated exchange with Terrapin head coach Mark Turgeon. Following the game, Turgeon indicated that he had already reached out to league officials to discuss his issues with Michigan. Put simply, a rematch between these two programs in the tournament would be must-see-tv.

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 2 Iowa - Final Four

The Wolverines are the top seed in the east division and the Hawkeyes are the No. 2 seed in the west division, meaning it's possible that the two Big Ten programs could reunite in the Final Four. The first meeting between the two programs this season was supposed to be a battle of two Big Ten juggernauts, but eventually turned into a blowout win for the Wolverines by a score of 79-57.

If these two programs happen to reunite in the Final Four, don’t expect it to be as lopsided as the first meeting.

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 2 Ohio State - National Championship

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. The real good stuff. Though it isn’t at the same level as the two football programs of each school, Michigan vs Ohio State is always a big deal - particularly if the two happen to meet in the NCAA tournament championship game. The two programs split their first two meetings of the season, with Ohio State getting revenge on the Wolverines by defeating them in the Big Ten tournament semifinal game...by one point.

Both meetings between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes have been battles from start to finish, meaning we could likely expect more of the same if they happen to reunite in the national championship game.

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 1 Illinois - National Championship

This is the national championship game we all deserve this year. Michigan vs Illinois isn’t traditionally a big rivalry, but the 2020-21 season seems to have changed that. Michigan captured the Big Ten regular season title just days after getting blown out at home by Illinois, leading the Illini to try to claim the title as well. Awkward.

Illinois eventually went on to win the Big Ten tournament championship to close out the season, but the two programs (and fan bases) still have a lot of animosity toward one another. The Wolverines were flatout manhandled the last time the met up with the Illini, providing plenty of motivation for the national championship game to be nothing short of an epic battle between two top seeds.