Kevin Borseth and the Michigan women's basketball team have three key games in six days.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

The red-and-white targeted United States map that went up in the Michigan women’s basketball team’s locker room before the season serves as a daily reminder of a team goal.

Make the NCAA tournament.

Now, as October has turned to February and that prediction comes closer to reality, the players know how important this week is.

The Wolverines have three games in six days, starting at No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday.

“We told them today, you know what, your season is really coming down to the end of it,” Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. “You put yourself in position to have a hope.

“Now, you have to do something about it.”

The three games are a tough stretch in part because of the opponent. Besides Michigan State, which at 20-3 and 8-2 in the Big Ten sits a half-game out of first place in the league, the Wolverines also have to go to Wisconsin (13-10, 8-3) on Feb. 19. In between is a game against struggling Indiana (8-15, 2-9). But three games in a week this late in the season can be taxing on a team.

Especially one trying to make its first NCAA tournament in a decade.

Michigan put itself in position to reach the NCAAs due to a three-game stretch where it beat then-No. 24 Boston College (68-55), then-No. 12 Ohio State (64-51) and then-No. 13 Iowa (60-53) all in a row back in late December and early January.

The Wolverines also swept Ohio State this year and at 14-9, 7-4 are fourth in the Big Ten.

“It’s a very big week for us,” Borseth said. “We have three games coming up in what, six days. That’s like running the gauntlet.

“The success or failure of your season is going to be determined by those three games, so it’s pretty important.”

Right now, Michigan is a No. 8 seed in ESPN analyst Charlie Crème’s latest Bracketology, one of six Big Ten teams slated to reach the 64-team field. In Crème’s predictions, Michigan would face No. 9 seed Southern California in Storrs, Conn., with a potential second-round matchup against top-seeded Connecticut.

Before Michigan gets there, though, it has to navigate this week.

“Yeah, the next three games are very important,” sophomore guard Kate Thompson said. “But you have to take each game one at a time and prepare for the next game. “You know, work hard.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein