MICHIGAN MAGIC CONTINUES
Unbeaten since jet scare, Michigan grinds out NCAA upset of Louisville
INDIANAPOLIS — There was no Golden State Warriors in Michigan on this day, not even a trace of the uncanny long-range shooting acumen that propelled the Wolverines into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was Louisville coach Rick Pitino who, after seeing a 16-of-29 long-distance barrage against Oklahoma State, likened Michigan to the NBA’s most prolific shooting team, and even with Pitino’s tongue planted firmly in cheek, there was something to the comparison.
Yet here were the seventh-seeded Wolverines two days later, not getting much of anything done from beyond the 3-point line, missing 11 of their 17 attempts. There was little free flow to their offense. Derrick Walton Jr., their senior point guard and on-court leader, was struggling through an offensive meltdown and if not for the scoring exploits of Moritz “Moe’’ Wagner, the German import, Michigan would have lost touch with second-seeded Louisville on Sunday afternoon in their Midwest Region game.
This was not the way Michigan does business, and in a low-scoring, grinding affair, Louisville figured to have the decided edge.
“That’s been our identity in the last month and a half, finding different ways to win,’’ Walton said.
“People think we’re a 3-point shooting machine,’’ Michigan coach John Beilein said. “You can’t do that anymore.’’
The Wolverines were not high-flying or hot-shooting inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. No matter. They were more rugged, tough and resilient — traits more often associated with Pitino’s Cardinals — but they served Michigan well in a stunning 73-69 upset victory.
“We feel like we can compete with anyone,’’ Michigan senior Zak Irvin said. “Especially when we changed our mentality on defense, it’s hard for us to stop.’’
There is no stopping just yet for the Wolverines (26-11), who head to Kansas City for the Sweet 16 to face Oregon looking to add onto an unforeseen March run. Michigan entered the Big Ten Tournament as an NCAA afterthought, but then won four games in four days — all after their plane skidded off the runway when they were attempting to leave Ann Arbor — to claim their first conference tournament title in 19 years. Now add in wild wins over Oklahoma State and Louisville, and the Wolverines have become one of the biggest stories of the NCAA Tournament.
“We always believed in ourselves, not only from a shooting respect but also on the defensive end and in the paint as well,’’ Wagner said. “So yeah, I’m very happy.’’
No kidding. Wagner let out a guttural scream when the horn sounded after scoring a career-high 26 points, hitting 11 of his 14 shots, mostly on innovative drives and moves inside the lane. The 6-foot-11 sophomore from Berlin was the difference. He scored six straight points for the Wolverines, the last two on a pump-fake and drive to put Michigan ahead 67-61 with 1:18 remaining.
“He just makes the right play at all times,’’ Walton said. “He has the cajones to make the big plays, so we feed off him because he’s not afraid of anything.’’
Down the stretch, D.J. Wilson (17 points) hit four consecutive free throws in the final 17.3 seconds.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cardinals (25-9) with 19 points and Deng Adel added 16. Louisville, ahead by nine points early in the second half, got nothing out of standout junior guard Quentin Snider, who missed all nine of his shots and was held scoreless.
It just was not Louisville’s day, shooting 5-of-20 from beyond the 3-point. Anas Mahmoud, a 7-footer, missed two open dunks, the second one coming with the Cardinals trailing 61-57 after Walton — who was 1-for-11 — finally broke through with a step-back 3 from the top of the key.
“After they made play after play, I just told them I could bring it home and hit the shot,’’ Walton said. “I knew if I stopped shooting they’d be mad at me.’’
Walton f inished 3-of-13. He did, though, hit a high-arched drive with 29 seconds to go to put Michigan up 69-65. The Wolverines took it inside and connected on 17-of-27 shots in the second half.
“We lose games because mentally we have a very difficult time focusing on what to do defensively — it cost us the game,’’ Pitino said.
“They shot 63 percent from the field in the second half, which is unheard of against us,’’ added Adel. “We just gave them no resistance.’’