Wolverines give it their best shot in barn burner
Set school record for 3-pointers
INDIANAPOLIS• Derrick Walton Jr. stuck to the plan Friday.
He kept running the Michigan Wolverines offence against an aggressive Oklahoma State defence and eventually things fell into place. Again.
Walton scored 26 points and had 11 assists as the Wolverines made a school record 16 3- pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, getting past Oklahoma State 92- 91 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.
“We haven’ t played a team that got up into us in a minute. It’s hard to simulate that in practice,” Walton said. “In the second half, I settled down. I wanted to make the right play consistently.”
Coach John Beilein had no complaints.
Seventh- seeded Michigan needed every point it could muster in a game that ended with a parade to the freethrow line, a buzzer- beating 3- pointer and a foe that refused to go away.
The difference: Poise and emotion, the same components that helped Michigan ( 25-11) overcome last week’s harrowing plane mishap to sweep four games in four days at the Big Ten Tournament.
Early Friday, it looked like Michigan’s momentum was waning. The Wolverines looked out of sync and out of sorts in the first half. But rather than change the game plan, Walton followed the script, steadied his team and the shots started going.
While Michigan made only five shots inside the arc in the second half, it went 11 of 15 from 3- point range — drawing increasingly louder roars from the crowd and more bewilderment from first- year Cowboys coach Brad Underwood. Walton wound up 6 of 9 on 3s, and Zak Irvin made four more in front of his hometown crowd. Irvin finished with 16 points.
For Michigan there was no victory celebration — only relief after winning the highest-scoring game in this year’s tourney.
The Wolverines have won six in a row and need one more to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2014.
Juwan Evans scored 23 points and Jeffrey Carroll had 19 to lead Oklahoma State (20-13), but the nation’s eighth- highest scoring team just couldn’t keep up with Michigan’s 3-point barrage.
MIDWEST REGION KANSAS 100, UC DAVIS 62
TULSA, OK LA .• Frank Mason III scored 22 points and had eight assists as topseeded Kansas won its opening game of the NCAA Tournament for an 11th- straight year with a 100- 62 victory over UC Davis on Friday night. Freshman Josh Jackson added 17 points on 8- of12 shooting for the Jayhawks ( 29- 5). Five players finished in double figures for Kansas, with Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte’ Graham adding 16 points each and Lan den Lucas 13. Chima Moneke scored 20 points to lead the 16thseeded Aggies, who were in their first NCAA Tournament. OREGON 93, IONA 77 SACRAMENTO, CAL IF .• With star big man Chris Boucher cheering in a bulky knee brace from the sidelines, Tyler Dorsey scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures. Canadian Dillon Brooks had 18 points and four assists and No. 3 seed Oregon beat 14th- seeded Iona 93-77 in the firstround of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region.
SOUTH REGION NORTH CAROLINA 103, TEXAS SOUTHERN 64
GREENVILLE, S.C .• Justin Jackson broke out of a shooting slump with 21 points to help top-seeded North Carolina roll past Texas Southern 103- 64 on Friday in the first round of the South Region. Isaiah Hicks added 17 points and Kennedy Meeks had 13 for the Tar Heels, who are a No. 1 regional seed for an NCAA-record 16 th time. Kevin Scott scored 19 points to lead the 16 th-seeded Tigers, the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
EAST REGION DUKE 87, TROY 65
GREENVILLE, S.C .• Grayson Allen had 21 points off five 3- pointers, Jayson Tatum had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and secondseeded Duke continued its perfect post- season with an 87- 65 victory over Troy on Friday night to start the East Region. The Blue Devils (297) became the first team to win four games on the way to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament crown last week. They kept up that pace in blowing past the 15 thseeded Trojans ( 22-15). Jordon Varnado had 18 points to lead Troy, which made its first NCAA appearance since 2003.