The deeper the shot, the better for Michigan in NCAA tourney opener

INDIANAPOLIS -- They looked like long-range assassins.

Moving back. Trying to make target practice more difficult.

Michigan point guard Derrick Walton Jr. hit a three-pointer against Oklahoma State in the NCAA tournament this afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. But that was too easy.

So he moved back and took shot it from another zip code. A logo shot.

Swish.

Walton looked at Michigan basketball coach John Beilein and gave a smile. After all of the lead changes in this fascinating game, after all of the back-and-forth, ups and downs, the Wolverines held on for a 92-91 victory.

It was Zak Irvin’s turn. Swish.

It was Muhammad-Ali Abdul-Rahkman’s turn. Swish.

This was attack from afar. The Wolverines made 16 three-pointers, a school record for an NCAA tournament game.

Five players made them.

On and on it went.

Wilson made one and ran down the court, with both hands flashing three fingers. Then Walton hit one over Jawun Evans, and Walton stared in his face. This was personal. One point guard against another. And Walton was making plays all over the court.

This was Walton against Evans, who came into this game averaging 19 points per game. On the Cowboys' first possession, Evans tried to go to his right, but he couldn’t get around Walton. Evans changed course and tried to go to his left. And there was Walton.

They banged bodies, Walton came up with the steal, and the Wolverines were racing down court.

It was a theme the rest of the first half. It was an intriguing matchup of the point guards. At one point, Evans circled around the court a couple of times, dribbling in a huge circle, until he hit a lay-up.

Fascinating.

Walton played every minute of the first half, and Evans scored eight. More significant, Evans had four turnovers.

Midway through the first half, Oklahoma State had a 20-13 lead. The Wolverines were jacking up three-pointers, setting for long shots, and they weren’t making them -- just 1-of-8.

The other big story in the first half was foul trouble. U-M's Wagner picked up two quick whistles and missed most of the first half.

The Cowboys were getting points in the paint and dominating the boards, especially the offensive boards. It looked like the Cowboys were going to run away with it, so Michigan coach John Beilein was forced to gamble.

Beilein put Wagner back in the game, and he immediately made an impact with a layup.

Walton forced a charge, and Wilson got free on a back-door cut for a dunk.

Then Walton went into the middle and kicked out to Abdu-Rahkman for a three.

Suddenly, the Wolverines were back in the game. They had their offense back. And it all started with that charge forced by Walton.

Beilein quickly pulled out Wagner, who had done his job. He gave this team a spark and kept the Wolverines in this game.

And then, the three-pointers won it for them.

Even a three-pointer they didn't make.

At the end of the first half, Walton had the ball, guarded by Mitchell Solomon, a 6-9 forward, on a switch. Walton got him to foul on a three, and he hit all three free throws for a 41-40 halftime lead

"They really pressured us hard,” Beilein told CBS at halftime. “We didn’t play with the timing and the downhill attitude."

Downhill?

It was more like long-range.

The longer the shot, the better Michigan looked.

On to Sunday.

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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go tofreep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.