DENVER – Michigan basketball survived a scare from No. 12 seed UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but ultimately found a way to win another close game.
Michigan moves on to the Round of 32 against No. 4 seed Texas A&M, which knocked off No. 13 Yale in the first round.
Here are four takeaways from Michigan’s win.
Survive and advance
The Wolverines let a 14-point halftime lead evaporate in the closing minutes, but hung on to win another close game with big plays at both ends of the floor. Michigan has won 13 games by four points or fewer this season, tying the most in NCAA history in a single season.
“I’ve spent a lot of time the last three or four weeks trying to figure out why we’re so good late in games,” head coach Dusty May said. “We miss free throws. We miss front ends. We didn’t finish well around the rim. Usually those things are the recipe, right? I look at our guys in the last five minutes of games -- their awareness, their intensity, and their determination is heightened at another level.”
Big Play Tre
The Maize and Blue don’t bounce the Tritons without another clutch performance from Tre Donaldson. The junior guard contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, but his most important bucket came from long range to re-take the lead for good with 2:13 to go.
Though not the leading scorer, Donaldson has led the Wolverines to victory with big shots in the final three minutes of three straight games.
“We’re desperate to win” Donaldson said. “We don’t want our season to be over. When it’s time to make big plays when the opportunity presents itself, I just want to attack it as best as possible and I want my teammates to do the same thing.”
Turnovers take their toll
UC San Diego entered as a trendy upset pick thanks in large part to their defensive efficiency. The Tritons have the best turnover margin in the country and showcased their effectiveness again, particularly during a 15-3 run to get back into the game down the stretch.
Michigan turned the ball over 14 times on Thursday, compared to just eight for UCSD. Although this didn’t cost the Wolverines the win, a team ranking 334th in turnovers struggling in this area doesn’t come as a surprise -- even if some of the Tritons’ tactics did.
“It’s just something unique, something we haven’t really seen much this year,” Roddy Gayle said of UC San Diego’s defensive structure.
“Their defense is not necessarily pressure, it’s just chaos,” Donaldson added.
“I don’t think we did a great job of taking what the game was giving us,” May said. “Part of the reason is they get in the passing lane and do something completely different than we’ve seen.”
Defense takes command
Michigan made the Tritons work to establish a steady rhythm, especially early on. The Wolverines set the tone, using 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf to set the tone on offense and defense, with the duo combining for 23 points and 18 rebounds (plus two key blocks from Goldin).
Perimeter defense was also effective. UCSD started 1-13 from three-point range, sinking only 23.3% of shots from deep by the final horn.
The performance wasn’t perfect by any means, but this team once again faced adversity and found a way through to success.
“This tournament throws so many things at you,” Donaldson said. “These games might be lopsided. They might be tight like they were today. You never know. But we’ve been in games like that all year in the Big Ten and we just find a way to win. That’s the biggest thing when it comes to this tournament.”
