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One of the most intriguing sidelights of this season's Selection Sunday is the seeding of Big Ten squads Michigan and Wisconsin.
Despite losing to the Wolverines twice this season, including the final of the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers secured the No. 3 spot in the East Regionals. On the other hand, the Dusty May-coached squad was handed the No. 5 spot in the South Regionals.
Why did it happen and what factors led the selection committee to give Wisconsin a higher seeding over Michigan despite winning their head-to-head games in the regular season and the conference tournament? Let's find out.
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Why is Michigan a 5 seed and Wisconsin a 3 seed?
The selection committee used various metrics to decide on the Tournament Rankings, and Wisconsin edged Michigan in two of three major ranking tools: KenPom and NET ratings. The Badgers are 13th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rating at +25.97, while Michigan is 25th at +22.28.
Wisconsin has the edge in adjusted offensive efficiency with 122.0 points per 100 possessions while Michigan is 116.0. It's the other way around in adjusted defensive efficiency, as the Wolverines rank higher with 93.7 points per 100 possessions compared to the Badgers' 96.0.
NET ratings had Wisconsin at No. 15 after it went 10-1 against Quadrant 2 teams, 2-0 against Quadrant 3 Teams, 6-0 against Quadrant 4 teams and 8-8 against Quadrant 1 teams. The Badgers are 11th in Wins Above Bubble.
On the other hand, Michigan is ranked 23rd in NET with a 12-7 record against Quadrant 1 Teams, 4-2 against Quadrant 2, and a combined 9-0 against Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4 teams. Its WAB ranks 10th in the nation.
Meanwhile, Michigan is ranked 11th in the RPI rankings at 0.625, while Wisconsin is ranked 19th with a 0.607 RPI.
How Wisconsin’s season earned it a higher seed
According to selection committee chairman Bubba Cunningham, the committee had contingency brackets in various scenarios. It even had a bracket in which both Michigan and Wisconsin won. The Big Ten Tournament final was a factor in their decision.
Wisconsin finished the season with a 26-9 record, including 13-7 in the Big Ten, while Michigan was ahead in the conference rankings at 14-6 but had a 25-9 mark overall.
The Badgers won over Top-25 teams Arizona, Purdue and Michigan State, which highly affected the committee's verdict in favor of the Greg Gard-coached team.
Michigan's odds of winning the NCAA Tournament
Per ESPN's Monday update, Michigan has a 100-1 chance of winning the national championship.
Wisconsin's odds of winning the NCAA Tournament
ESPN reported Wisconsin has a 50-1 odds of winning March Madness.
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