Michigan men’s, women’s basketball preparing for first round of NCAA tournament

Michigan is one of 27 universities in the country sending both its men’s and women’s basketball programs to the NCAA tournament. The men (25-9) won their first Big Ten tournament title since 2018 on Sunday, and the women earned their seventh appearance in the past eight seasons (2020 tournament canceled due to COVID-19) with a 22-10 record.

The Wolverines’ men’s squad (No. 5 seed) is set to play No. 12 seed UC San Diego (30-4) Thursday (March 20) at 10 p.m. on TBS. The women’s team (No. 6 seed) will play either No. 11 seed Princeton or Iowa State Friday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2.

Michigan basketball sending men’s and women’s teams to NCAA tournament

Michigan’s men’s team flipped the script and ran the table in the conference tournament after ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak. Nonetheless, March madness brings another clean slate and another opportunity for the Wolverines to raise a banner.

Life is good pic.twitter.com/EMbCCdXBNZ

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) March 17, 2025

UC San Diego has the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games, with its last loss coming on Jan. 18 to UC Riverside. The Tritons rank 35th in NET and 39th in KenPom. In its first season eligible for the big dance, UC San Diego cemented its bid with Big West conference titles in the regular season and postseason tournament.

On the women’s side, the Wolverines are making their 13th NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Michigan reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament for the second straight season before falling to USC. The Wolverines feature one of the youngest lineups in the country, and the freshmen are about to get some vital tournament experience.

See you Friday!

📍South Bend, IN pic.twitter.com/0MwYJBniJ7

— Champions Circle (@ChampCircleUofM) March 17, 2025

Olivia Olson and Syla Swords are the only pair of freshman teammates in the country each averaging 15 points per game. No matter what happens in the tournament, the Wolverines seem to have tons of success in their future. Iowa State and Princeton battle it out for the 11th seed on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. 

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