Seeded No. 11 in the South region, Michigan has just climbed to the Sweet Sixteen, thanks to its victory (76-68) over Tennessee, seeded No. 3, following having already gotten rid of Colorado State, seeded No. 6.
It must be said that the Wolverines did not have the record (19-14) that matched the talent of their workforce, and they show their resources in this “March Madness”. Yet deprived of their starting point guard DeVante’ Jones in the first round, and while the latter might only play 13 minutes in the match once morest the Volunteers following a shock with his teammate, the Frenchman Moussa Diabaté (13 points, 6 rebounds , 3 blocks), Michigan got away with it once more.
Still trailing by 6 points (60-54) in the middle of the second half, Juwan Howard’s troops were able to count on the decisive baskets of Eli Brooks (23 points, 5 assists) to support Hunter Dickinson (27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists), the fullback killing the game with an unlikely rolled arm. “Old school” might howl the commentators!
“He is everything a man from Michigan represents. What he did on the pitch, what he did off the pitch, with his development, his growth as a man, his ability to adapt to different cultures. It will be difficult to replace a guy like that. He is irreplaceable” explained the coach on his player, who is indeed finishing his fifth season in the program of Juwan Howard and the Wolverines.
In the next round, Michigan will face the winner of the duel between Villanova and Ohio State, disputed the next night.