March Madness preview: UC San Diego vs. Michigan

On Thursday night, the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines take on the No. 12 University of California San Diego Tritons in the South region. Don’t get sleepy as this game takes place in Denver, with a start time of 10:00 p.m. eastern on TBS. The winner will face either Texas A&M or Yale.

Both teams are champions of their respective conference tournaments, with Michigan winning three straight to claim their third Big Ten title and UC San Diego winning two straight to claim their first Big West title.

The Tritons are one of the hottest teams in college basketball right now. They are 30-4 and winners of 15 straight games dating all the way back to January 23. The Tritons have been dominating their opponents during this streak with an average margin of victory of 19.07 points.

While they are not in the AP Top 25 Poll, they did receive some votes and are on top of the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. This is no small feat as teams with higher seeds are part of the poll, such as Drake, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.

As an extremely successful program in Division II, the Tritons felt 2020 was the right time to move up to Division I. Unfortunately, due to NCAA transition rules, the team was ineligible for postseason play until this year.

Earl W. Edwards, the athletic director for UC San Diego since 2000, stated, “The idea that we’re not only participating, but we’re doing it during the first year of eligibility and it’s both men and women, I like to say that it's’ the way UC San Diego does things: Because we’re a world-class university, we do things unexpected, innovators.”

Since entering the Big West in the 2020-21 season, they are 81-62. This .566 winning percentage may not seem all that impressive. However, over the past two seasons, they are 51-16, boasting a .761 winning percentage.

They are 43rd in NCAA Division I points per game, averaging 79.8. They share the rock quite well, averaging 15.9 assists per game, which is also 43rd in the country. They are not board-heavy, averaging 33.9 rebounds per game, good for 260th in the country.

What they lack in the three major statistics of basketball, they make up for in other extremely important categories. They have a turnover margin of 7.2 which is first in the country by 1.1 turnovers. Generating turnovers is no light feat.

A non-basketball factor that definitely helps the school is location. The conference is made entirely up of Southern California teams, excluding UC Davis near Sacramento and Hawaii. Conferences like the Big 12 do not have that geographic luxury.

Heading into Selection Sunday, the Tritons were confident. They are one of the best mid-majors in the country. During their win streak, their margin of victory went under double digits only twice. They are rolling. However, they received an unlucky draw.

The Michigan Wolverines sit at the 14 spot in the AP Poll, which mathematically should make them a 4 seed. The Wolverines lost their last three regular season games to an unranked Illinois Fighting Illini squad, a No. 13 Maryland Terrapins team and rivals No. 8 Michigan State Spartans.

Those losses and more than half a week’s worth of rest helped the Wolverines immensely.

In basketball, there are three main ways to show that a team is worthy of a deep run. They need to be able to win defensive-minded games, blow opponents out and win clutch games. They proved themselves.

The Wolverines dismantled 6-seeded Purdue. Against 2-seeded Maryland, #3 Tre Donaldson saved the day with a Flash-like coast to coast layup with less than a second on the clock. They beat 5-seeded Wisconsin in a defensive showdown to win the Big Ten Tournament.

Looking solely at Michigan’s 25-9 record, one could argue that nobody should be scared of them. However, to win the Big Ten Tournament, they showed the world that they are not to be messed with.

This game could cause chaos for the brackets, so buckle up for an enthralling battle from Denver.

Jack Harrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jkh6603@psu.edu.