Michigan Basketball headed to the Elite Eight after dominant performance
By Bob Heyrman
Michigan Basketball got off to a hot start over Florida State in the first half behind Brandon Johns Jr. and Chaundee Brown’s stellar effort.
It was clear early that head coach Juwan Howard had this Michigan Basketball team ready to rock in their fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance. The Wolverines scored 32 first-half points, 16 of which came from a whopping ten forced turnovers. The Wolverines played stout defense all evening long, finishing with 14 forced turnovers.
Florida State continued to press the Wolverines with their aggressive press, whether it was a full-court press or a half-court, but Michigan clearly prepared for the on-ball pressure and often had an outlet to gain the midcourt stripe and set-up their offense.
Michigan Basketball will march on to the Elite Eight after a superb effort.
The Seminoles continued to switch on the pick and roll, often leaving Hunter Dickinson the ability to eat inside, and the freshman center had himself a night totaling 14 points and eight boards.
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Stretch wing Franz Wagner proved to be a ‘do-it-all balanced contributor, greatly helping Johns and Dickinson on the boards earning himself a double-double pulling down ten total rebounds along with scoring 13 points. Wagner also had a few nifty passes through traffic which led to a few easy scores. He’d finish with five assists.
Entering the contest, we knew the Seminoles turned the ball over quite a bit but often made up for it by playing stellar defense. Florida State turned the ball over 15 times in the round of 32 in their victory over Colorado.
Michigan Basketball got a tremendous effort from Brandon Johns, who finished with 14 points and six boards after pacing the Wolverines with eight points, five rebounds, and two steals in the first half.
Brown continued his exceptional play coming off of Michigan’s bench, going 3 for 3 from the field and 1 for 1 from beyond the arc, totaling seven points in the first half. Brown finished the afternoon with 12 points for Michigan Basketball.
The Wolverines finished the night with a whopping 50 points in the paint to FSU’s 28. The Wolverines also cleared the glass nicely, surprisingly out-boarding the Seminoles 34-28.
Michigan shot 49% from the field, which is a tremendous feat; understanding FSU held its previous four opponents to a combined 36%. Michigan shot just 27% from beyond the arc, and that will need to improve in the Elite Eight to secure a trip to the Final Four.
Next. Friday’s blockbuster deal will play a role picking No. 7. dark
The Wolverines will square off in the Elite Eight with the winner of UCLA and Alabama.