The Michigan Wolverines leaned on their unsung players to provide the offensive oomph to keep up with the red-hot Tigers of LSU. Eli Brooks & Chaundee Brown combined for 42 points on 13-20 shooting, leading the Wolverines to an 8-point victory over the 8-seed, 86-78. The 21-point effort from Brooks was a career-high, remaining extremely efficient behind the three-point line and dishing out 7 assists, as well.
It didn’t start looking promising for the Wolverines. LSU star Cameron Thomas started the night 5-6 shooting, hitting fadeaway after fadeaway against anyone, and everyone matched upon him. The aforementioned Brooks & Brown in particular helped keep that gap sustainable with a few three-pointers until the Tigers shooting eventually cooled off. Michigan also had to fend off guard Javonte Smart, who hit tough floaters throughout the night to a 27-point effort of his own.
Despite Smart & Thomas combining for 57 points, it was defense that proved to be the difference-maker in the end. Franz Wagner, despite having a quiet first half, stepped up in a big way in the second. With a few strong defensive possessions and key baskets down the stretch, Michigan was able to pull out to as big as a 10 point lead and kept their distance in the last few minutes behind some solid free-throw shooting.
The Wolverines advanced to their fourth straight Sweet 16, where they’ll have the #4 seed Florida State Seminoles waiting for them.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Intro
- 00:27 - Highlights
- 24:33 - Stats
- 24:56 - 3 Key Points