Michigan withstands Oklahoma State, catches fire to advance, 92-91
INDIANAPOLIS -- Sometimes it takes a little history to survive and advance.
No. 7 seed Michigan embraced that path Friday in the NCAA tournament's first round, dropping a tournament-record 16 three-pointers on the way to knocking off No. 10 seed Oklahoma State, 92-91, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Wolverines (25-11) picked the right time to start raining threes, hitting 16-for-29 (55.2%) from long range, needing every one to survive the Cowboys (20-13.)
"If somebody would have ever said that we're going to give up 91 and we were going to win, I wouldn't have thought that was going to happen," U-M coach John Beilein said. "We had enough firepower to withstand their incredible offensive talent and get enough points."
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With their 11th win in the past 13 games, the Wolverines advance to Sunday's second-round matchup (12:10 p.m./CBS) against No. 2-seed Louisville, which beat No. 15-seed Jacksonville State, 78-63 in Friday's second game. Though only the coaches are familiar, it will be billed as a rematch of the 2013 national title game that Louisville won in Atlanta.
Coming off of a Big Ten tournament championship, the Wolverines were supposed to be gassed Friday. Instead, they went from hot to hotter to don’t-touch-the-stove.
U-M hit 11 of its first 15 three-pointers after halftime, burying the Cowboys in their best shooting game against a major-conference team all season.
The stretch started with under 15 minutes remaining. Michigan hit 12 of its next 15 shots, including 10 threes, critical to staying in the game and holding the lead.
Even on a team that knows hot, and was led by senior Derrick Walton Jr.'s 5-for-6 threes in the second half, this was another level.
"When one of us gets it going, it's contagious," said U-M co-captain and Indiana native Zak Irvin, one of five Wolverines who hit a three during that run. "It's understood when we're playing so well. Not much has to be said on the court when they've got it going. The thing is, we're so unselfish, especially when Derrick is seeing the court like he is."
Walton’s line — 26 points, 11 assists, five rebounds — marked the first time an NCAA tournament player reached the 25, 10 and 5 benchmark since Dwyane Wade of Marquette in 2003.
It was the latest in Walton's string of dominating performances for the Wolverines in the past six weeks.
It took awhile for the Big Ten tournament’s Most Outstanding Player to regain his form, hitting only one field goal in the first half, but once he was rolling, everything felt familiar.
Walton came through again near the end, hitting his clutch free throws to keep Michigan ahead. It helped him to a slight edge in the point guard battle against Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans, who scored 23 points with 12 assists and seven rebounds.
The threes just covered for the other areas that slipped. Michigan had to work in the first half to stay afloat without foul-prone Moe Wagner, trailing by seven at one point.
U-M’s sophomore center only played 14 minutes in the game and made little impact, but the Wolverines simply slid over D.J. Wilson from the power forward spot, and he tossed in 19 points, including the game-sealing free throws. His presence helped offset Oklahoma State’s 16 offensive rebounds in the game.
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The win further cements Beilein’s legacy at Michigan, pushing his NCAA tournament record to 12-6 with the Wolverines. He now has won his first NCAA tournament game in six of the seven years at U-M.
For some perspective, Michigan did not reach the NCAA tournament in the nine years before he arrived.
Now, Beilein shifts from a first-year high major coach in Brad Underwood to facing a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino of Louisville. And he’s confident his team won’t be fazed, not after winning in so many different ways the past week in Washington and Indy.
“That’s the world we’ve lived in,” Beilein said.
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder.Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!