Indianapolis -- Finally, the muzzle came off.
Michigan coach John Beilein over and over has avoided lobbying for his team's NCAA Tournament bid, but not Saturday afternoon, following his team's exit from the Big Ten tournament in a 76-59 loss to No. 13 Purdue at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Specifically, Beilein took dead aim at the so-called NCAA Tournament bubble, on which some experts say Michigan sits, and others don't.
"People just don't know, when you go through the injuries we had and the adjustment period you have to have, I do believe if we played any of those other bubble teams right now, we're as good as any of those other bubble teams, or better," Beilein said.