Now We Await Our Fate

Michigan falls to Illinois 60-50 in a game that would have locked up the Wolverines' first tournament birth in more than a decade. Instead, the shots simply weren't falling, Illinois played great defense, and Mike Davis played like an all-star. This game took me all the way back to mid-season, when no one could hit a shot, the team couldn't score, and their field goal percentage hovered around the low 40's. Now, the Michigan faithful will have to anxiously await the team's fate by rooting for other bubble teams to lose and sweating out the selection show. Full post-game and bubble watch for today can be found over at UMHoops.com.

You can join fellow Wolverines Fans at Crisler tomorrow to watch the selection show. Doors open at 5 PM and there is no cost for admission. Also, CBS will have a crew there filming the team's reaction. I'm hoping to see an excited Michigan team explode when CBS announces a 10 seed. Let's hope it's not one of those we see every year that ends in disappointment and we're instead left watching Beilein talk about how deserving this team was of a bid but yet still speaking politically correct about the selection committee and its process.

I still feel pretty confident about Michigan's chances on Sunday, especially given the losses by Wisconsin, Penn State, and Minnesota. The Wolverines' resume has got to look better than Penn State & Minnesota's. If the committee doesn't think the Big Ten warrants 8 bids, I'm banking on Michigan receiving the invite over those two teams. Giving Michigan a bid and snubbing the Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers would give the Big Ten six invites. This, I think, is a more likely outcome though I'd like to see eight bids.

Other News

• Spring Practice begins for Michigan's Football team today. Check out Coach Rodriguez's twitter updates to see what's new. I'm hoping to find some video/pics from practice, so if you find any, let me know. UPDATE: Rodriguez spoke to the media before heading out to practice. Thewolverine.com has all the details in transcript form here.
• Michigan's Pro Day went well yesterday. MVictors.com has the big news and an interesting photo of some old friends.
• Devin Gardner has reportedly committed to the University of Michigan. This is great news for the future of the QB position. Mgoblog breaks the news here.

I'll have the tournament bracket up with thoughts/feelings tomorrow evening. I'll be like the rest of you tomorrow, biting my fingernails and sweating profusely. Until then, go blue from AZ!