The Michigan roller coaster is getting at least one more ride.
From the top five of the AP poll to the worst win-loss record of any men’s NCAA tournament team, navigating a COVID-19 pause and a lengthy suspension of its head coach in between, “tumultuous” would be a kind word to describe the types of ups and downs this team has experienced in 2021–22.
And for the first 15 minutes of this first-round matchup with Colorado State, some Wolverine fans might have been ready to get off the ride for good. Michigan was sloppy and disoriented without point guard DeVante’ Jones, who didn’t travel from Ann Arbor after suffering a concussion in practice earlier in the week. Colorado State was well prepared for Hunter Dickinson’s post catches and was exploiting the 7-footer in space on the defensive end. The Wolverines looked lost. Through 15 minutes, Michigan trailed by 15 and had more turnovers than field goals.
