Michigan overcomes 15-point deficit to beat Colorado State in NCAA Tournament

The Michigan Wolverines are moving on! Michigan defeats the Colorado State Rams 75-63 and advances in the NCAA Tournament. The first half was rough, but the Wolverines found a way to get it done.

Frankie Collins was huge picking up the slack in the absence of Devante Jones, as he had 14 points. Hunter Dickinson was masterful as always, dropping 21. Eli Brooks and Caleb Houstan had the jump shots for Michigan today. Houstan had 13 and Brooks had 16.

First Half

The first half was not pretty. Colorado State got out to a hot start from behind the arc going 3-of-4 from deep to start the game. The Rams got out to an early lead after the hot start, but cooled down after that, going on a 2-for-14 shooting stretch.

Still, Michigan wasn’t able to grab a lead during that drought due to poor shooting and turnovers. Colorado State eventually grew the lead to as many as 15. Fortunately, Michigan played better down the stretch and was able to close the gap down to seven, trailing 36-29 at the break.

The only offense from the Wolverines was Hunter Dickinson down low, as he had 12 in the first half. Michigan also shot 0-of-7 from deep in the half.

Second Half

A different Michigan team came out of the locker room for the second half. The three-point shooting was much better, and the Wolverines dominated the Rams for the final 20 minutes.

Michigan got its first lead with an Eli Brooks jumper at the 12:52 mark that gave the Wolverines a 45-44 lead. Colorado State went on a 5-0 spurt after that to take a 49-45 lead, but it was all Michigan after that. Caleb Houstan heated up from deep was a big part of the second-half run. The Wolverines trailed by 15 in the first half and ended up winning by double digits. The final score was 75-63.

Michigan advances to the Round of 32 and will the play the winner of Tennessee and Longwood.