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It wasn't too long ago that it seemed inconceivable that Michigan basketball could make any sort of run in the NCAA Tournament. After all, the Wolverines were floundering, struggling even against lesser teams in the Big Ten. Then, the maize and blue stunned in the Big Ten Tournament, winning the whole thing. Now, the biggest test is next: facing 1-seed Auburn, once thought to be the top college basketball team in the country.
The Wolverines, coming in as a 5-seed, get the Tigers in Atlanta in the Sweet 16. The winner of the game gets to play 2-seed Michigan State -- which narrowly beat 6-seed Ole Miss earlier on Friday.
It's Dusty May vs. Bruce Pearl. It's the Wolverines vs. Tigers. Here's what happened.
After two tipoffs, Auburn came up with the ball and promptly turned it over. The Tigers defense held tough, though, with Michigan taking up the whole shot clock before Rubin Jones hoisted a desperation heave that didn't fall. Auburn's next possession featured an ugly 3-point attempt that didn't fall, but as Michigan failed to score on the other side, the Tigers managed to sink a deep ball to go up 3-0.
Danny Wolf attempted to answer back, but the Tigers missed the floater on the other end. Former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson, hit a 3 to tie it up. The Wolverines took the lead with a Nimari Burnett layup, but the Tigers responded with a 3 and a lauyp to go up 8-5. That's where it would stand at the under-16 media timeout.
After Auburn hit one of two free throws following a Danny Wolf foul, Rubin Jones went coast-to-coast but didn't score though he was fouled in the process. He hit both free throws to cut the deficit to two. The Tigers committed their second turnover with a Michiagn steal, and Wolf split the defenders for a quick-surge layup to tie the game at nine-all. Auburn star Johni Broome and Wolf traded to keep the game at 11. Broome put the Tigers up 13-11 with a Broome putback after multiple offensive rebound opportunities for the Tigers. They were leading on the boards, 12-5. What was saving Michigan at that point, however, was an uncharacteristic zero turnovers to Auburn's three.
Of course, that wouldn't last long as Vlad Goldin -- who had yet to assert any sort of presence -- lost the ball moving to the basket. He made up for it on the other end by hitting a floater in the middle of the key to tie the game again at 13.
Donaldson continued to lead the Wolverines, scoring on a J in the key but fouled Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford on the other end. He missed the first shot but cut it to one with his ensuing make. Michigan turned the ball over on the inbound, and Pettiford hit a layup to take the lead. Then the two teams kept attempting 3s and missing until Wolf hit from deep to reclaim the lead for the maize and blue.
The teams traded baskets from there, but both offenses struggled to really find a rhythm, with both shooting below 37%. Auburn kept hoisting 3s, coming in at 3-for-14 at this point, while the Wolverines only attempted seven. The Tigers took a 21-20 lead to the bench at the under-eight timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Wolf got a dunk and Jones got the ball back on a steal, leading to an Auburn foul, sending him to the line for two free throws. He drained both, and the Wolverines had a game-high three-point lead. Michigan held Auburn but Wolf missed the team's third layup of the game on the other end. The Tigers were on a two-minute scoring drought, but Michigan wasn't exactly taking advantage of the situation. Auburn guard Denver Jones broke the stalemate, but Nimari Burnett answered with a 3 to put the Wolverines up by four.
Both teams turned the ball over on ensuing possessions, and they did it again on the next wave. The Wolverines went from not turning the ball over to four turnovers in three minutes. That brought the game to the under-four timeout, where Michigan nursed a two-point lead, up 27-25.
Coming out of the timeout, Auburn tied the game up on a turnaround jumper, but Roddy Gayle Jr. finally got on the board as a response. Freshman LJ Cason came in and fouled Broome after a series of putback attempts, but Broome only hit one of two free throw attempts. Michigan missed its next attempt and then both teams turned it over again.
Michigan's Goldin was fouled after a layup attempt, but he missed both attempts. Broome helped Auburn retake the lead with 34 seconds left in the first half, while Goldin missed the last attempt before halftime. It was a 30-29 Tigers lead going into the locker room.
The second half started with another missed layup for the Wolverines, now by Burnett, and yet another turnover by Auburn. That led to a longball by Wolf, putting Michigan up by two and giving him 14 points. After a missed 3 by Auburn, Wolf turned it offer on the other end after dribbling it off his leg, and Broome tied the game at 32.
Burnett was fouled but missed the front end, giving the Wolverines just a one-point lead. The Tigers missed a 3 before Burnett took it on a fast break to extend the lead to three. A series of turnovers by both teams eventually led to a Broome putback, making it a one-point game. After Goldin, who only had two points thus far, had a series of misses and putback attempts, he would be fouled and end up going to the line after the under-16 media timeout.
Goldin hit both free throw attempts but Auburn answered right back with a layup. The Tigers continued to struggle offensively while Wolf and Gayle both scored, extending the lead to a game-high of six points after Gayle got the and-one. Broome responded with a layup of his own and an and-one on the Tigers' side of the floor.
The game continued to be essentially between Danny Wolf and Johni Broome, as they were the only two scoring. Wolf scored two more buckets to push the Wolverine lead to seven as 'Dan-ny Wolf!' chants broke out at State Farm Arena. After another Broome turnover, Will Tschetter got fouled and hit both free throws to extend Michigan's lead to nine. Finally, Auburn's Pettiford hit a deep 3 to end the impasse, cutting Michigan's lead to six. Tschetter promptly turned the ball over on the other side, and it was 48-42, Michigan, at the under-12 timeout.
The deficit quickly was erased with Denver Jones hitting a 3 before a missed Wolf layup and a layup on the other end by Johni Broome. MIchigan turned the ball over and Donaldson, Burnett (with two in this sequence), and Rubin Jones all got fouls on the other end put the Wolverines at six fouls, but the Tigers quickly turned over, though Cason missed his layup attempt. Auburn finally scored on the other end to retake the lead, capping off a 10-0 run with 9:53 remaining.
Wolf turned it over coming out of Michigan's called timeout while Rubin Jones got his third foul on the other end, sending Chad Baker-Mazara to the line, where he extended the Auburn lead to three. Jones made good on the foul by scoring on the other end on a layup, cutting the deficit to one. But Denver Jones hit a 3 on the other end, and Auburn extended the lead to four -- tying its biggest of the game. As electric as Wolf had been scoring-wise, he turned the ball over for the fourth time in the game, and Jones hit another 3, putting Michigan down seven at the under-eight timeout. It was an 18-2 run for the Tigers over the past four-plus minutes. The maize and blue had four turnovers in that span.
Denver Jones scored two coming out of the timeout, pushing the lead to nine. Vlad Goldin ended Michigan's struggles by hitting a jumper while getting the and-one, cutting it to six. Pettiford pushed the lead back to eight, but Baker-Mazara got his fourth foul, putting Goldin back on the line, where he hit one of two free throw attempts. Pettiford came back on the other end and hit another 3, and suddenly, the Wolverines were down 10. After Goldin missed a 3, Pettiford scored again while getting the and-one, putting Michigan down 13 with 4:35 remaining.
Goldin went to the line to cut the deficit to 11, but hadn't scored from the floor for nearly three minutes. Another minute went by and the Wolverines had chances to cut into the lead. Auburn came out of the under-four timeout with an emphatic dunk which led to a missed 3-pointer on the other end. It was a 30-8 run by the Tigers.
Broome hit one free throw to extend the lead to 14 before two Cason free throws cut it to 12. From there, it was nothing doing, and the Wolverines succumbed to the Tigers, 78-65.
With that, Michigan's season is done and Auburn advances to the Elite Eight to face the Wolverines' chief basketball rival, Michigan State.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: What happened as Michigan basketball loses to Auburn in Sweet 16
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The Wolverines, coming in as a 5-seed, get the Tigers in Atlanta in the Sweet 16. The winner of the game gets to play 2-seed Michigan State -- which narrowly beat 6-seed Ole Miss earlier on Friday.
It's Dusty May vs. Bruce Pearl. It's the Wolverines vs. Tigers. Here's what happened.
First half
After two tipoffs, Auburn came up with the ball and promptly turned it over. The Tigers defense held tough, though, with Michigan taking up the whole shot clock before Rubin Jones hoisted a desperation heave that didn't fall. Auburn's next possession featured an ugly 3-point attempt that didn't fall, but as Michigan failed to score on the other side, the Tigers managed to sink a deep ball to go up 3-0.
Danny Wolf attempted to answer back, but the Tigers missed the floater on the other end. Former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson, hit a 3 to tie it up. The Wolverines took the lead with a Nimari Burnett layup, but the Tigers responded with a 3 and a lauyp to go up 8-5. That's where it would stand at the under-16 media timeout.
After Auburn hit one of two free throws following a Danny Wolf foul, Rubin Jones went coast-to-coast but didn't score though he was fouled in the process. He hit both free throws to cut the deficit to two. The Tigers committed their second turnover with a Michiagn steal, and Wolf split the defenders for a quick-surge layup to tie the game at nine-all. Auburn star Johni Broome and Wolf traded to keep the game at 11. Broome put the Tigers up 13-11 with a Broome putback after multiple offensive rebound opportunities for the Tigers. They were leading on the boards, 12-5. What was saving Michigan at that point, however, was an uncharacteristic zero turnovers to Auburn's three.
Of course, that wouldn't last long as Vlad Goldin -- who had yet to assert any sort of presence -- lost the ball moving to the basket. He made up for it on the other end by hitting a floater in the middle of the key to tie the game again at 13.
Donaldson continued to lead the Wolverines, scoring on a J in the key but fouled Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford on the other end. He missed the first shot but cut it to one with his ensuing make. Michigan turned the ball over on the inbound, and Pettiford hit a layup to take the lead. Then the two teams kept attempting 3s and missing until Wolf hit from deep to reclaim the lead for the maize and blue.
The teams traded baskets from there, but both offenses struggled to really find a rhythm, with both shooting below 37%. Auburn kept hoisting 3s, coming in at 3-for-14 at this point, while the Wolverines only attempted seven. The Tigers took a 21-20 lead to the bench at the under-eight timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Wolf got a dunk and Jones got the ball back on a steal, leading to an Auburn foul, sending him to the line for two free throws. He drained both, and the Wolverines had a game-high three-point lead. Michigan held Auburn but Wolf missed the team's third layup of the game on the other end. The Tigers were on a two-minute scoring drought, but Michigan wasn't exactly taking advantage of the situation. Auburn guard Denver Jones broke the stalemate, but Nimari Burnett answered with a 3 to put the Wolverines up by four.
Both teams turned the ball over on ensuing possessions, and they did it again on the next wave. The Wolverines went from not turning the ball over to four turnovers in three minutes. That brought the game to the under-four timeout, where Michigan nursed a two-point lead, up 27-25.
Coming out of the timeout, Auburn tied the game up on a turnaround jumper, but Roddy Gayle Jr. finally got on the board as a response. Freshman LJ Cason came in and fouled Broome after a series of putback attempts, but Broome only hit one of two free throw attempts. Michigan missed its next attempt and then both teams turned it over again.
Michigan's Goldin was fouled after a layup attempt, but he missed both attempts. Broome helped Auburn retake the lead with 34 seconds left in the first half, while Goldin missed the last attempt before halftime. It was a 30-29 Tigers lead going into the locker room.
Second half
The second half started with another missed layup for the Wolverines, now by Burnett, and yet another turnover by Auburn. That led to a longball by Wolf, putting Michigan up by two and giving him 14 points. After a missed 3 by Auburn, Wolf turned it offer on the other end after dribbling it off his leg, and Broome tied the game at 32.
Burnett was fouled but missed the front end, giving the Wolverines just a one-point lead. The Tigers missed a 3 before Burnett took it on a fast break to extend the lead to three. A series of turnovers by both teams eventually led to a Broome putback, making it a one-point game. After Goldin, who only had two points thus far, had a series of misses and putback attempts, he would be fouled and end up going to the line after the under-16 media timeout.
Goldin hit both free throw attempts but Auburn answered right back with a layup. The Tigers continued to struggle offensively while Wolf and Gayle both scored, extending the lead to a game-high of six points after Gayle got the and-one. Broome responded with a layup of his own and an and-one on the Tigers' side of the floor.
The game continued to be essentially between Danny Wolf and Johni Broome, as they were the only two scoring. Wolf scored two more buckets to push the Wolverine lead to seven as 'Dan-ny Wolf!' chants broke out at State Farm Arena. After another Broome turnover, Will Tschetter got fouled and hit both free throws to extend Michigan's lead to nine. Finally, Auburn's Pettiford hit a deep 3 to end the impasse, cutting Michigan's lead to six. Tschetter promptly turned the ball over on the other side, and it was 48-42, Michigan, at the under-12 timeout.
The deficit quickly was erased with Denver Jones hitting a 3 before a missed Wolf layup and a layup on the other end by Johni Broome. MIchigan turned the ball over and Donaldson, Burnett (with two in this sequence), and Rubin Jones all got fouls on the other end put the Wolverines at six fouls, but the Tigers quickly turned over, though Cason missed his layup attempt. Auburn finally scored on the other end to retake the lead, capping off a 10-0 run with 9:53 remaining.
Wolf turned it over coming out of Michigan's called timeout while Rubin Jones got his third foul on the other end, sending Chad Baker-Mazara to the line, where he extended the Auburn lead to three. Jones made good on the foul by scoring on the other end on a layup, cutting the deficit to one. But Denver Jones hit a 3 on the other end, and Auburn extended the lead to four -- tying its biggest of the game. As electric as Wolf had been scoring-wise, he turned the ball over for the fourth time in the game, and Jones hit another 3, putting Michigan down seven at the under-eight timeout. It was an 18-2 run for the Tigers over the past four-plus minutes. The maize and blue had four turnovers in that span.
Denver Jones scored two coming out of the timeout, pushing the lead to nine. Vlad Goldin ended Michigan's struggles by hitting a jumper while getting the and-one, cutting it to six. Pettiford pushed the lead back to eight, but Baker-Mazara got his fourth foul, putting Goldin back on the line, where he hit one of two free throw attempts. Pettiford came back on the other end and hit another 3, and suddenly, the Wolverines were down 10. After Goldin missed a 3, Pettiford scored again while getting the and-one, putting Michigan down 13 with 4:35 remaining.
Goldin went to the line to cut the deficit to 11, but hadn't scored from the floor for nearly three minutes. Another minute went by and the Wolverines had chances to cut into the lead. Auburn came out of the under-four timeout with an emphatic dunk which led to a missed 3-pointer on the other end. It was a 30-8 run by the Tigers.
Broome hit one free throw to extend the lead to 14 before two Cason free throws cut it to 12. From there, it was nothing doing, and the Wolverines succumbed to the Tigers, 78-65.
With that, Michigan's season is done and Auburn advances to the Elite Eight to face the Wolverines' chief basketball rival, Michigan State.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: What happened as Michigan basketball loses to Auburn in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
