You might remember the 2013 Michigan men’s basketball team. It was an extremely talented group headed by a veteran coach and filled with NBA talent. The Wolverines reached the top of the polls and were for a time considered serious championship contenders, but a slow finish to the season caused their NCAA Tournament stock to plummet.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Both that team and the 2016 Maryland Terrapins ascended to their highest ranking in years (Michigan reached No. 1, Maryland No. 2) in early January. But the Wolverines and Terps stumbled to a 12-6 finish in Big Ten play.