No. 3 seed Wolverines to Open NCAA Tournament vs. No. 14 seed Montana

Thursday, March 15

Wichita, Kan.

8:50 PM CT

Michigan

Montana

No. 3 seed Wolverines to Open NCAA Tournament vs. No. 14 seed Montana

3/13/2018 1:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance under John Beilein.
» Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won nine straight games -- fifth longest in the nation -- six of which have come away from home.
» Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight season, winning four games in four days for a second consecutive year.
» Michigan is one of the top defensive teams in the country, with a KenPom Defensive Efficiency that is ranked fifth nationally, the best for U-M during John Beilein's tenure.

NEXT GAME
Thursday, March 15 -- vs. #14 seed Montana, 9:50 p.m. (TBS)
Saturday, March 17 -- vs. #6 seed Houston/#11 San Diego State, TBD -- if advance

The No. 3-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team (28-7) squares off against No. 14 seed Montana (26-7) in the NCAA Tournament's West Regional First Round in Wichita, Kansas. Tipoff is scheduled approximately 8:50 p.m. CT with the game broadcast on TBS.

• Photo Gallery: Wolverines Depart for NCAA Tourney

MICHIGAN AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Michigan has been selected to its 28th (23rd*) NCAA Tournament.
• Michigan has a 54-26 (46-22*) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Michigan has made six (four*) national championship appearances -- 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992*, 1993*, 2013.
• Michigan is 1-5 (1-3*) all-time in the national title game.
• Michigan is 6-1 (4-1*) all-time in national semifinal games and owns the best winning percentage (.857) of any school to play in at least five games.
• Michigan won the program's first and only NCAA championship in 1989, following a dramatic 80-79 overtime win against Seton Hall when Rumeal Robinson made two free throws to secure the title. During the "Shock the World" run, Glen Rice set the NCAA Tournament record for most points in a single tournament with 184 (30.6 ppg).
• Michigan has seven (five*) Final Four appearances
• Michigan has four national title game appearances under four different head coaches -- Dave Strack (1965 vs. UCLA); Johnny Orr (1976 vs. Indiana); Steve Fisher (1989 vs. Seton Hall; 1992 vs. Duke and 1993 vs. North Carolina) and John Beilein (2013, vs. Louisville).
• Michigan has 13 (12*) Elite Eight appearances.
• Michigan has 14 (13*) Sweet 16 appearances.
• Michigan has earned a No. 1 seeding on two occasions -- 1985 and 1993*
• Michigan has earned a No. 2 seed on two occasions -- 1986 and 2014.

MICHIGAN WEST REGIONAL TIDBITS
• Michigan has been placed in the West Region for the sixth (fifth*) time in school history, and the first time since 2011. U-M was also in the West Region in 1975, '88, '90, '93* and 2011.
• Michigan is a No. 3 seed for the sixth (fifth*) time in program history. U-M has been on the No. 3 seed line more than any other seed. The Wolverines were also a No. 3 seed in 1998, '89, '90, '94 and '98*.
• Michigan is playing in Wichita, Kansas, in the NCAA Tournament for the second time.
• U-M was a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region in 1994*, when they defeated No. 14 Pepperdine, 78-74, in overtime, and No. 6 Texas, 84-79, to advance to the Sweet 16. U-M then defeated No. 10 Maryland, 78-71, in the Regional Semifinals in Dallas, Texas, before falling to No. 1 Arkansas, 76-68, in the Regional Final.
• Michigan's matchup on Thursday will be its first all-time meeting against Montana.
• Michigan has never met San Diego State in program history.
• Michigan is 2-1 all-time against Houston, with the Cougars winning the most recent meeting, 91-65, on Jan. 2, 1968.

SOME BEILEIN NOTABLES FOR THE WEST REGIONAL
• This season marks the first time a John Beilein-coached team has been a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• John Beilein is coaching a team in the West Region for the second time in his career. Beilein guided No. 8 seed Michigan in the West Region in 2011, when they defeated No. 9 Tennessee before falling to No. 1 Duke. In 2005, Beilein's No. 7 seed West Virginia defeated No. 10 Creighton and No. 2 Wake Forest, advancing to the Regional Finals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Mountaineers defeated No. 6 Texas Tech before they were defeated by No. 4 Louisville in the Elite Eight.
• John Beilein has faced Montana once previously in his career, a 73-56 victory over the Grizzlies on Nov. 23, 2006, in the first round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Florida.
• John Beilein has never faced Houston or San Diego State in his coaching career.

A LOOK AT NO. 14 SEED MONTANA
• The regular season and tournament champions of the Big Sky Conference, Montana has a 26-7 overall record, which includes a 16-2 mark in league play. The Grizzlies defeated Eastern Washington, 82-65, in the Big Sky Tournament final to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• Montana has faced one Big Ten opponent this season, a 70-57 loss against Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 15.
• Three players average double figures for the Grizzlies, led by Ahmaad Rorie at 17.2 points per contest; Michael Oguine averages 15.8 points per game while Jamar Akoh averages 13.1 points per contest.
• The Grizzlies average 7.8 steals per game, which ranks 22nd in the nation. Montana forces 15.5 turnovers per game, which ranks 21st nationally.
• Travis DeCuire is in his fourth season as head coach at Montana, and has led the Grizzlies to the NIT in 2015 and the CBI (2016). DeCuire was an assistant at California for six seasons (2008-14) before he took over at Montana.

THE MAIZE & BLUE
• Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight season, winning four games in four days for a second consecutive year.
• Michigan has 28 wins this season, tied for the second-most under John Beilein. U-M has 29 all-time 20-win seasons, eight of them under Beilein.
• Michigan is one of the top defensive teams in the country, with a KenPom Defensive Efficiency that is ranked fifth nationally, the best for U-M during John Beilein's tenure.
• Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won nine-straight games -- fifth longest in the nation -- six of which have come away from home.
• Michigan is ranked second in the nation in fewest turnovers per game with 9.1 (behind only Virginia -- 8.6). During John Beilein's tenure, U-M has ranked in the top-20 nationally in fewest turnovers nine times, seven times in the top-10.
• Moritz Wagner is Michigan's leading scorer (14.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg). An All-Big Ten second teamer, Wagner was the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
• Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection. He is tied for second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game and leads the nation with a 5.04 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Duncan Robinson, who started his career at Division-III Williams College, was named the Big Ten's Sixth Man of the Year. Robinson has 228 career triples, sixth-best in U-M history.