Michigan to Play Clemson in First NCAA Tourney Appearance Since 1998

I have been fortunate enough to experience quite a few amazing moments at various Michigan sporting events over the years, but one that quickly rose to the top of the list happened just yesterday. I, of course, am referring to the NCAA tournament selection show viewing party at Crisler Arena. Over a thousand fans filled the bleachers and blue section on the east side of the arena to watch the selection show on CBS. The scoreboard was lowered for a better viewing angle, and the coaches and players took a seat in the front row, anxiously awaiting the moment that Michigan was shown in the bracket.

Although this event had several similarities to a typical Michigan basketball game, including the band, cheerleaders, chants, a t-shirt and pizza giveaway, and reactions to an actual game we were watching on the big screen (Purdue-Ohio State), it was different once the selection show got started. Nervousness is part of every sporting event, but it is much different when you are watching a TV show and can see the nervousness so clearly on the faces of players and coaches. Even though it seemed like Michigan was a lock to receive a bid, it was only human nature for people to start to worry once three regions were revealed and we were still waiting for Michigan to be announced. I personally thought Michigan was in, but I have to admit that some anxiousness set in right before Greg Gumbel got to the bottom of the south regional.

Once Oklahoma was read off as the 2 seed in the south, all of the nervousness began to slowly turn into anticipation. Then, as Clemson was announced as the 7 seed, the anticipation turned into excitement, as everyone in Crisler could feel that the wait was about to be over. Finally, the excitement became an explosion of pure happiness as Michigan’s name flashed up on the screen as a 10 seed and Clemson’s opponent. Although coming into this event it was expected that Michigan would make the tournament, no one could celebrate and breathe a sigh of relief until it became official. And when it did become official, it was pandemonium in Crisler, both on the court with the team and in the stands with the fans. Everyone was jumping up and down and hugging to celebrate this moment, as Michigan was going dancing for the first in 11 years.

Some may wonder how watching “Michigan” flash on a videoboard could be so special, but it was really a buildup of all the years of scandal, disappointment, and most recently, hard work to get this program back to the big dance. Being there with John Beilein and the players and seeing how excited they were was something I will never forget. After Beilein was interviewed by CBS prior to the selection show, he spoke to the crowd and thanked us for our support and touched on a few other things. After he spoke to us again later on, now knowing Michigan was in the tournament, you could see and hear how happy he was. The same goes for David Merritt, who said a few words to the crowd before leading everyone in Crisler to The Victors, which closed out this wonderful celebration.

What actually seems a bit odd to me now that the celebrating is behind us is what lies ahead for Michigan. Since Michigan hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1998, I really don’t know what to expect this Thursday when the Wolverines play Clemson. Obviously for as long as I can remember I have followed the NCAA tournament closely, even without Michigan in it. But I was only 8 the last time Michigan was actually in the tournament. I barely remember them losing to UCLA back in ’98, so it will be an odd and a great feeling to watch Michigan in the tournament on Thursday.

Speaking of which, Michigan’s opponent, as mentioned, is #7-seeded Clemson. The Tigers started out 16-0 before finishing the season 7-8. They have lost four out of their last five games, which hopefully is a sign of things to come. I don’t know a whole lot else about Clemson beyond that, but a few experts mentioned that they like to press a lot. That should slow down Michigan’s flow a bit, but believe it or not, Jay Bilas summed up U-M’s chances the best. He basically said that if Michigan shoots the ball well, they will win. That seems like a “Captain Obvious” statement on the surface, but what he meant is that if Michigan has a lights out shooting night, similar to the Purdue and Iowa games, they will win. If they just have an average night, however, the result could be like the Illinois game.

I was a bit worried about when this game would start considering I have class all day Thursday, but thankfully it is a primetime game. The game will tip off at 7:10 p.m. ET and can be seen locally on CBS. A few other games will eventually be on at the same time as Michigan, meaning CBS could cut away to them depending on where you live. This is precisely why March Madness on Demand exists. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can watch any game in the first three rounds online for free, meaning you can watch Michigan play no matter where you are.

If you want to attend the game, which will be played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO, tickets will be available through the athletic department today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The catch is that you have to be a season ticket holder to purchase tickets. Those with more than 200 priority points can order two tickets, and student season ticket holders are eligible to buy one ticket. The price of a ticket is $73 and covers both the first and second round (if Michigan doesn’t make it to the second round, those orders won’t be charged). For more information on getting tickets through the athletic department, click here. As far as other ways of getting tickets go, your best bet is probably eBay or one of the many other ticket sites out there (expect to pay more than $73 for both rounds, though).

By car, it takes approximately 11 and a half hours to drive from Crisler Arena to the Sprint Center in Kansas City. That may be fairly a long trip, but if you want to fly out of DTW, for example, it looks like plane tickets will cost you close to $400 at a minimum. Even so, if you are able make it to Kansas City for the game, then by all means go. Michigan needs to have fans at the game, especially if they advance to Saturday. Assuming there is no upset, the winner of the Michigan-Clemson game will play Oklahoma. The possibility of playing Blake Griffin is a little scary, but then again, I said the same thing about Hasheem Thabeet going into the UConn game, and Michigan played very well. Regardless, first things first Michigan has to beat Clemson, so that is definitely going to be the focus until after Thursday’s game.

Here are some other useful links to relive yesterday’s celebration at Crisler and get you ready for the tournament:

• CBS telecast showing the reaction at Crisler when Michigan was announced
• Three videos shot at Crisler showing the reaction
• Photo galleries of the Crisler event from the Ann Arbor News, Free Press, Detroit News, and MGoBlue
• MGoBlue has a timeline of how John Beilein spent Selection Sunday
• MVictors has a look at Beilein’s NCAA tournament record
• Announcing schedule for the first and second rounds of the tournament (Tim Brando and Mike Gminski will be in KC to do Michigan’s game)
• A full bracket, including printable ones, can be found here