John Beilein and the Michigan Wolverines have bounced back nicely from a disappointing 8-4 non-conference schedule and the devastating loss of preseason All-American forward Mitch McGary.
As one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in the strongest conference in college basketball, Michigan appears to be a lock for the NCAA tournament on paper; but a closer look makes things a bit foggier.
Of the four losses Michigan suffered in the pre-conference schedule, one was at the hands of the No. 1 team in the country, and two were close battles on the road against ranked Iowa State and Duke. Only the Puerto Rico Tip-off Championship loss to Charlotte looks bad on the resume.
The only knock against the Wolverines is that there isn't a quality victory on the schedule. None of their 12 wins have come against a ranked opponent, and a road victory against the (for now) No. 3 Badgers would do wonders for Michigan's national perception.
A few of Michigan's wins have started to look much stronger as the season plays out. Florida State, which fell to Michigan in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-off, is 12-4 and the only team to upset No. 16 Massachusetts (15-1) so far this season.
On December 21st, Michigan took down a hot Stanford team in the Barclays Center behind 36 combined points from Nik Stauskas and Glen Robinson III. The Cardinal were coming off an upset of No. 10 Connecticut on the road, but couldn't overcome the Wolverines in New Jersey.
Possibly the most impressive win for Michigan through 16 games is the win in the Barn against Minnesota. Winning Big Ten road games has proven extremely difficult in 2014, a phenomenon proven by Michigan's near loss in Nebraska and Michigan State's struggles in Evanston.
Minnesota showed its potential Thursday night when it dominated No. 11 Ohio State 63-53 and moved to 14-4 on the season. The Maize and Blue remain the only team to come out of the Barn with a win this season.
These three wins, combined with the strength of its losses, make Michigan a safe bet to make the NCAA Tournament so far, but with two games remaining each against No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 14 Iowa , and a trip to Columbus on February 11th, it has to find a way to put more quality wins on the resume.
It has a major opportunity to do so Saturday night.
Wisconsin has owned Michigan in recent years. The Maize and Blue have lost 11 straight games on the road against the Badgers, and got bounced from the Big Ten tournament by Bo Ryan's squad last March.
Beilein's group has to be wondering what it takes to beat the Badgers. In Madison last season, a half court shot at the buzzer kept Wisconsin alive 
before it went on to win in overtime. In 2011, Josh Gasser's lucky 3-point bank shot similarly stunned Michigan in Ann Arbor.
A payback win in 2014 would go a long way towards putting Michigan back on the national stage.
Michigan's current six-game winning streak is largely due to the elevated play of Robinson, who has scored 92 points during the streak. In fact, taking out the Minnesota game in which the sophomore left due to injury, Robinson is averaging over 17 points per game during the stretch.
The Wolverines will need Robinson to be strong again if they hope to surprise the Badgers Saturday night.
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