Moe Wagner's breakout game leads Michigan to 73-69 upset of Louisville
Wagner scores career-high 26 points, D.J. Wilson comes up clutch as Wolverines overcome eight-point halftime deficit
INDIANAPOLIS — Four years ago, a gangly Moe Wagner sat on a German bus watching Michigan lose to Louisville for the national title.
On Sunday, he exacted some revenge.
Michigan’s sophomore center broke out of his slump in a massive way, carrying No. 7 seed Michigan to the Sweet 16, edging the No. 2-seeded Cardinals, 73-69, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The win vaults Michigan (26-11) to a Thursday matchup with No. 3 seed Oregon in Kansas City (7:09 p.m./CBS), marking the Wolverines’ third Sweet 16 appearance since 2013.
In the 19 years before that, there were none.
This one arrived on Wagner’s broadening shoulders, after three weeks without a dominant offensive game.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse became his personal playground as Wagner’s career-high 26 points came at the perfect moment, taking the game right at Louisville’s long, lanky forwards in crunch time.
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“He’s been a problem all year,” U-M co-captain Derrick Walton Jr. said. “He’s a matchup nightmare. So when we spread him out and put him in space, I think we pointed to his strength.”
By keeping him on the court and out of foul trouble — Wagner’s 31 minutes were his most in a month — he was able to unload the full arsenal: soft spin moves with each hand, taking a defender off the dribble, knocking down a three.
In a game where Walton struggled from the start for Michigan and finished 3-for-13, Wagner embraced the moment, introducing himself to the nation.
“I just let the game come to me,” Wagner said. “Don't force anything and see what happens. Today, I got a couple easy ones early. Therefore, my confidence level was high.”
At this point, confidence is a given with these Wolverines.
They’ve won seven straight games, 12 of 14 overall and are doing it in different ways.
In the Big Ten tournament, they grinded out wins against teams with big men like Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the NCAA tournament opener, they played shoot-out ball with Oklahoma State. Sunday, it was against one of the nation’s top defensive teams in Louisville.
That variety is what had U-M coach John Beilein writing on the white board before the game and repeating in the late-game huddles: “Why not us?”
“That was mine,” Beilein said. “As you get into these things and you get into the NCAA tournament and you’re watching your friends, guys like (Villanova’s) Jay Wright, we started coaching in the Big East together, and they’re winning national championships, you’re saying if he can do that, we can do that.”
Sunday’s performance and rally showed anyone watching that is possible.
Louisville (25-9) was a bad matchup for Michigan with its length, athleticism and defense.
The Cardinals had a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino and had won six straight Round of 32 games, with the last loss coming in 2007.
And with a crushing final minute of the first half, taking a tie game to an eight-point halftime lead, it was tough to imagine Michigan getting through.
But halftime was calm and composed.
“We all agreed, just got to chip away, win the first four minutes, then the next four, take it segment by segment,” U-M forward Duncan Robinson said.
The first four didn’t help, but all U-M needed was a sliver. When Louisville’s Quentin Snider missed a three that would have put the Cardinals up 12 with under 16 left, there was hope. U-M ripped off a 15-4 run and there was energy.
With Wagner taking over with his 17 second-half points, and supplemented by D.J. Wilson’s 17 points for the game, the Wolverines could taste it down the stretch.
“Tonight, Moe showed up in a big way,” U-M assistant Saddi Washington said. “Whether it was inside-out, making that huge three at the end of the game. As we call them, players have got to make plays at this time of the year.”
Even in the final minute, when Louisville’s press was giving the Wolverines fits, Wilson iced it with free throws and a crucial block.
The magic is still there.
Kansas City, here they come.
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!