Yes, the 2022-23 season has been extremely disappointing for Michigan basketball.
Losing the final three games of the season — two in the regular season as well as the Big Ten Tournament opener — and therefore missing the NCAA Tournament is certainly a whimper. Playing in the NIT when you have higher expectations is not a prize.
But at least Michigan basketball isn’t Purdue.
In case you missed it, and you sure didn’t, Purdue, the Big Ten regular season champion and Big Ten Tournament champion, became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a seeded 16 on Friday. Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off the stunning upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
While the first No. 1 seed to fall, Virginia, certainly lives in infamy, Purdue has put themselves in such a disgraceful position that it’s something the Boilermakers will never experience.
Of course, it’s one thing to play in the tournament, something Michigan hasn’t given itself the chance to do. But being No. 1 and losing to a 16 is a level of embarrassment that cannot be matched. Granted, many won’t care that their parentheses were instantly broken given the sheer entertainment value of the situation. The Boilermakers have the honor of being the laughing stock of the NCAA.
Playing in the NIT, as it is in Michigan, is not very proud, honestly. He will receive his fair share of scorn from a rival (MSU, as Ohio State missed both tournaments). But nothing compares to this.
Enjoy your moment in the Purdue spotlight, have you earned it?
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The story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire
