After an impressive start, where does the Wolverines season go from here….

With the Wolverines sitting at 7-2 through nine games this season, the excitement in Ann Arbor and in the entire metro Detroit area for that matter is mounting.

Looking at the remainder of the 2009 schedule, I thought it would be fun to predict each remaining game and see hypothetically where this team will finish record wise. Will they have enough quality wins to secure a bid in the NCAA tournament?

The Wolverines play Oakland in a neutral site game (Palace of Auburn Hills, which is just miles from Oakland’s campus) which could prove to be tricky but it’s a game Michigan will win. The Wolverines will then host Florida Gulf Coast, where they will get another win. North Carolina Central then comes to Crisler Arena, giving Michigan what should be their fifth straight win heading into the Big Ten schedule and putting their overall record at 10-2 

Wisconsin comes to Ann Arbor, where Michigan loses a heartbreaker to the Badgers. Illinois then visits Crisler Arena where Michigan gets a victory in yet another close game. Michigan then travels to Indiana where Michigan wins a very tough road game. At this point, Michigan would be 2-1 in the Big Ten and 12-3 overall.

Michigan then returns home to host Iowa, where Michigan takes care of business with a strong win. The Wolverines then visit Illinois where Michigan falls to the Illini in blow out loss. Michigan then returns to Crisler where they are re-focused and beat arch rival Ohio State. The Wolverines would be 4-2 in the Big Ten and 14-4 overall.

Michigan then visits Happy Valley, where they lose a tough one to Penn State. They then rebound at home with a convincing win over visiting Northwestern. They play their third game in 8 nights at Ohio State, where they run out of steam and lose to the Buckeyes.  After this tough stretch, the Wolverines would be sitting at 5-4 in the Big Ten and 15-6 overall.

Michigan will then visit Purdue where they surprise the Boilmakers with a hard fought win. They then return to Ann Arbor and avenge an earlier loss by beating visiting Penn State in convincing fashion. The Wolverines take a one game Big Ten hiatus by visiting Connecticut where they play a great game only to come up just short and lose to the Huskies. This stretch of games puts the Wolverines at 7-4 in the Big Ten and 16-7 overall.

The Wolverines then return home to host in-state rival Michigan State and they get a buzzer beater victory to beat the Spartans. They then travel to Evanston where they lose a sloppy game to Northwestern. They return to Ann Arbor to put together a strong game in beating visiting Minnesota.  With only four games left in the regular season, Michigan would stand with a 9-5 Big Ten record and 18-8 overall.

Michigan travels to Iowa, where they lose a close game. They return home for their final regular season game at Crisler with a win over Purdue. Next up is a game in Madison against Wisconsin where Michigan gets it done and gets a huge road win. They finish the season in Minnesota where they take a beating, leaving the Wolverines with 11-7 Big Ten record and finishing 20-10 overall.

A 20 win season would almost guarantee a NCAA tournament bid and with the way the schedule looks from here on out, Michigan could have name announced on Selection Sunday

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