Seminoles’ late rally fizzles
Michigan holds off FSU, advances to Final 4
Florida State’s magical NCAA Tournament run has come to an end.
The Seminoles got hot with 2:07 remaining in the game and went on a 10-2 run to pull wthin two points of the Wolverines.
With 24 seconds remaining, No. 9 seed FSU challenged No. 3 seed Michigan to overcome its free-throw shooting woes to punch its ticket to the Final Four.
The Wolverines responded by hitting two big free throws and playing strong defense, helping Michigan earn a 58-54 win over FSU (23-12) to win the West Regional at Staples Center in Los Angeles late Saturday night.
Michigan (32-7) advances to face No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago while Florida State’s season ends following the deepest NCAA Tournament run of veteran coach Leonard Hamilton’s tenure.
FSU used a balanced attack, stifling defensive pressure and overall athleticism to dominate Gonzaga on
Thursday to reach the Elite Eight, but it was Michigan’s elite defense that frustrated the Seminoles for long stretches Saturday.
Florida State went more than eight minutes without a bucket Saturday night and it took grit to claw back into the contest.
Phil Cofer led FSU with 16 points and 11 rebounds while PJ Savoy added 12 points off the bench. Hamilton rotated 10 players, living up to his mantra that it would take a team effort to earn a victory.
Michigan guard Charles Matthews had 17 points and eight rebounds while Moritz Wagner added 12 points and six rebounds.
Florida State had a chance to complete an epic rally but missed shots and questionable decisions in the final minute were too much to overcome.
Cofer tipped in a missed shot with 24 seconds left, trimming Michigan’s lead to 56-54. The Seminoles then fouled Duncan Robinson, one of Michigan’s strongest free-throw shooters.
Robinson hit both free throws, pushing Michigan’s advantage back to 56-54.
Savoy put up a heavily contested 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. Robinson grabbed the rebound and the Seminoles opted not to foul the strong Michigan shooter.
Hamilton defended the decision not to foul in the final 11 seconds while trailing by four points.
“Do you think the game came down to the final seconds of the game? The game was over,” he said when interviewed by college basketball reporter Dana Jacobson on TBS.
Hamilton then said the Wolverines deserved credit for forcing the Seminoles out of their comfort zone.
“I thought they did a great job and a great game plan that forced us to 14 turnovers in the first half,” Hamilton said.
“... That’s uncharacteristic . ... Our kids fought their butts off to get themselves in position to give themselves a chance to win.”
Hamilton said Michigan’s weaker free-throw shooters weren’t given the ball late in the contest and his team couldn’t pull off enough fouls to get back into contention.
“They did a good job throughout the whole year,” he said of his players.
“I’m very proud of them. They had a fantastic finish.”
Michigan had a distinct home-court advantage from thousands of vocal fans packed into the lower bowl of Staples Center.
The Wolverines seemed to need all of those cheers to survive an off-shooting night.
Michigan coach John Beilein predicted a major advantage for his team, and he was proven correct.
The crowd included Rudy Tomjanovich, the Michigan alumnus and former Lakers coach, who watched in Wolverines gear near courtside.
“I said we’re shooting 33 percent,” Beilein said.
“That might change in the second half, but at the same time, we’ve got to understand we may not make shots, [but] we’re still going to win the game with our defense.
“We’ve just got to hang in there, don’t give them second shots, try and take away the 3 ball, the drive. We did a great job on defense.”