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ATLANTA — The Michigan basketball locker room is directly adjacent to portraits of former program standouts Caris Levert and Kobe Bufkin, in the hallways of State Farm Arena. Perhaps it's an omen.
Certainly, when Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel filed in shortly after the U-M coaches and players entered the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks on Thursday afternoon, he shared his prevailing thought: "Glad to be in another gym."
The 5-seed Wolverines (27-9) will play 1-seed Auburn (30-5) in Friday night's (9:39 p.m., CBS) NCAA tournament Sweet 16 games in the South region, where a major narrative is the reunion of U-M guard Tre Donaldson and his former Tigers teammates.
MOVING PIECES: Michigan basketball's Dusty May doesn't like timing of transfer portal, either
Is Donaldson motivated against his former team.
"I'm just going to be Tre," Donaldson said.
Though Donaldson didn't want to talk too much about it, there are plentiful connections between the two programs, such as U-M big Danny Wolf, who bounced the Tigers from the NCAA tournament's first round with Yale last year, or K.T. Harrell, who scored more points in his first two years at Auburn than any player in history, then went on to become U-M's director of basketball ops.
Although Harrell and Donaldson have played and coached for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, knowledge of the Tigers alone likely won't be enough to beat the team which entered this tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. The Wolverines know their best will be required, but they also feel most aren't expecting them to reach what would be their first Elite Eight since 2021.
"We've been doubted and people didn't believe in the basketball we played, which works in our favor because now we have nothing to lose," Roddy Gayle Jr. said after Thursday's practice. "We have no stress on our shoulders to go out there and be perfect. ... We just need to play Michigan brand of basketball."
The Tigers have been ridiculously successful this season, rating in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the top 10 in in defensive block rate (No. 4), 3-point shooting against (No. 7) and best assists-to-field-goals made (No. 8).
The plan starts by stopping, or at least slowing down, forward Johni Broome, an All-American and a national player of the year candidate who averages a double-double (18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds) per game.
YOUNG BLOOD: L.J. Cason has become Michigan basketball's X-factor in March Madness run
"Extremely skilled around the basket, great touch around the rim," Wolf said, previewing what will be a personal rematch for him after he faced off with Broome and the Tigers in last year's NCAA tourney. "I'd like to think it's two of the best frontcourts in the country. ... We're all very excited for the opportunity."
But he's far from the only problem.
The Tigers also seemingly bring guards with a touch beyond the 3-point line off a conveyer belt: Denver Jones (41.7%), Miles Kelly (39.4%), Chad Baker-Mazara (38.7%) and Tahaad Pettiford (37.9%) all shoot better than 37% on their 3s.
That combo of talent had sportsbooks listing Dusty May's group as 7½-point underdogs earlier in the week, with the number ballooning to 9½ as of Thursday afternoon. Still, Michigan was an underdog against an SEC team just last weekend, rallying to upset 4-seed Texas A&M in Denver.
"I think that underdog mentality has been prevalent the last few weeks," Wolf said. "People wrote our season off after the regular season and here we are now. I mean we're underdogs in the game, it's a 5 vs. a 1, but we see it as just a regular game."
Still, it won't be easy, even with the Wolverines riding their fourth five-game win streak of the season. Auburn has dubbed Atlanta — just 100 miles northeast of its campus in Alabama and consistently providing a big crowd when the Tigers visit in basketball or football — "Auburn East" in recent years. The pro-Tigers crowd, boosted by a likely not-small number of MSU fans who'd love to see their rivals falter once more, should leave U-M feeling less than at home.
Then again, that's nothing May and Co. aren't used to.
"When you look at where we all came from, none of us were in the McDonald's (All-American) game (other than Nimari Burnett), none of us were in the up-and-coming coaches list," May said. "It's probably just who we are. We have a chip on our shoulder. ... I think we have a group that embraces that chip on their shoulder and that underdog role."
The Tigers seem to be trending down while the Wolverines feel like they're on the upswing, but it's hard to ignore the line Vegas set. Michigan has size in the frontcourt, guards playing well and a coach who's been here before. But Auburn is another level. The Tigers have been building for this moment for years, and despite a season for the Wolverines that has been nothing short of tremendous, it does not continue on to Sunday. Pettiford hits the dagger, over Donaldson, with 97 seconds to play. The pick: Auburn 82, U-M 76.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Auburn prediction in March Madness: Who makes Elite Eight?
Continue reading...
Certainly, when Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel filed in shortly after the U-M coaches and players entered the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks on Thursday afternoon, he shared his prevailing thought: "Glad to be in another gym."
The 5-seed Wolverines (27-9) will play 1-seed Auburn (30-5) in Friday night's (9:39 p.m., CBS) NCAA tournament Sweet 16 games in the South region, where a major narrative is the reunion of U-M guard Tre Donaldson and his former Tigers teammates.
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MOVING PIECES: Michigan basketball's Dusty May doesn't like timing of transfer portal, either
Is Donaldson motivated against his former team.
"I'm just going to be Tre," Donaldson said.
Though Donaldson didn't want to talk too much about it, there are plentiful connections between the two programs, such as U-M big Danny Wolf, who bounced the Tigers from the NCAA tournament's first round with Yale last year, or K.T. Harrell, who scored more points in his first two years at Auburn than any player in history, then went on to become U-M's director of basketball ops.
Although Harrell and Donaldson have played and coached for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, knowledge of the Tigers alone likely won't be enough to beat the team which entered this tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. The Wolverines know their best will be required, but they also feel most aren't expecting them to reach what would be their first Elite Eight since 2021.
"We've been doubted and people didn't believe in the basketball we played, which works in our favor because now we have nothing to lose," Roddy Gayle Jr. said after Thursday's practice. "We have no stress on our shoulders to go out there and be perfect. ... We just need to play Michigan brand of basketball."
The Tigers have been ridiculously successful this season, rating in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the top 10 in in defensive block rate (No. 4), 3-point shooting against (No. 7) and best assists-to-field-goals made (No. 8).
The plan starts by stopping, or at least slowing down, forward Johni Broome, an All-American and a national player of the year candidate who averages a double-double (18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds) per game.
YOUNG BLOOD: L.J. Cason has become Michigan basketball's X-factor in March Madness run
"Extremely skilled around the basket, great touch around the rim," Wolf said, previewing what will be a personal rematch for him after he faced off with Broome and the Tigers in last year's NCAA tourney. "I'd like to think it's two of the best frontcourts in the country. ... We're all very excited for the opportunity."
But he's far from the only problem.
The Tigers also seemingly bring guards with a touch beyond the 3-point line off a conveyer belt: Denver Jones (41.7%), Miles Kelly (39.4%), Chad Baker-Mazara (38.7%) and Tahaad Pettiford (37.9%) all shoot better than 37% on their 3s.
That combo of talent had sportsbooks listing Dusty May's group as 7½-point underdogs earlier in the week, with the number ballooning to 9½ as of Thursday afternoon. Still, Michigan was an underdog against an SEC team just last weekend, rallying to upset 4-seed Texas A&M in Denver.
"I think that underdog mentality has been prevalent the last few weeks," Wolf said. "People wrote our season off after the regular season and here we are now. I mean we're underdogs in the game, it's a 5 vs. a 1, but we see it as just a regular game."
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Still, it won't be easy, even with the Wolverines riding their fourth five-game win streak of the season. Auburn has dubbed Atlanta — just 100 miles northeast of its campus in Alabama and consistently providing a big crowd when the Tigers visit in basketball or football — "Auburn East" in recent years. The pro-Tigers crowd, boosted by a likely not-small number of MSU fans who'd love to see their rivals falter once more, should leave U-M feeling less than at home.
Then again, that's nothing May and Co. aren't used to.
"When you look at where we all came from, none of us were in the McDonald's (All-American) game (other than Nimari Burnett), none of us were in the up-and-coming coaches list," May said. "It's probably just who we are. We have a chip on our shoulder. ... I think we have a group that embraces that chip on their shoulder and that underdog role."
Tony Garcia's prediction for Michigan basketball vs. Auburn in Elite Eight
The Tigers seem to be trending down while the Wolverines feel like they're on the upswing, but it's hard to ignore the line Vegas set. Michigan has size in the frontcourt, guards playing well and a coach who's been here before. But Auburn is another level. The Tigers have been building for this moment for years, and despite a season for the Wolverines that has been nothing short of tremendous, it does not continue on to Sunday. Pettiford hits the dagger, over Donaldson, with 97 seconds to play. The pick: Auburn 82, U-M 76.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Auburn prediction in March Madness: Who makes Elite Eight?
Continue reading...
