Michigan 76, Florida State 58, Elite Eight Bound
Florida State guard MJ Walker faced up in the post on should've-been Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Franz Wagner. Wagner swatted the shot to the baseline, won the race to the ball, and bonked it off Walker's head to ensure Michigan retained possession even if Walker hadn't been whistled for a foul on the way.
Wagner's ensuing bonus free throws put the Wolverines up 20 with just over four minutes to play. That about sums up how this supposedly difficult Sweet Sixteen matchup played out, and now M finds themselves in their fourth Elite Eight in the last eight NCAA Tournaments. It is, of course, Juwan Howard's first as a coach, though the setting won't be unfamiliar to him.
Michigan outclassed Florida State in the British sense, looking more skilled, taking far better care of the ball, and passing with exquisite precision. They never trailed after the score was 4-2 Seminoles, bullied their way to an 11-point halftime lead despite shooting 33% from the field, and dismantled FSU's defense in the second half.
Even though Isaiah Livers has now officially been ruled out of the rest of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan is cruising into an Elite Eight matchup against the winner of Alabama/UCLA looking as strong as they have all season. The team effort on offense was beautiful to watch; Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns tied for the team lead with 14 points apiece, Wagner added 13, and everyone else in the rotation scored between six and 12; they had 19 assists on 29 field goals with only nine turnovers.
Johns set the tone with an early steal and dunk
[Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images]
The defense, as usual, was dominant throughout. Take out Malik Osborne, who went 4/7 from beyond the arc for a team-leading 12 points, and FSU combined to go 20/51 from the field and 1/13 on threes. It was Michigan, not the bigger 'Noles, that worked their way into the bonus early in each half. Soon-to-be lottery pick Scottie Barnes ran out for a couple early buckets and was otherwise shut down by Wagner and friends, going 4/11 with three assists and three turnovers.
When FSU tried to get early offense, their preferred way to points, they ended up with contested jacks instead of open looks. Getting stuck in the halfcourt was even worse. The Wolverines beat them on the glass, getting second-chance points from not only Dickinson and Johns, but also Chaundee Brown and Austin Davis.
The Wolverines dominated a very good team in a way few other remaining squads are capable, winning nearly every important battle within the war. They're playing with the freedom and calm of a team that's been freed from the burden of expectation. They look ready for anyone.
Let's go.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]
Thanks for the writeup, Ace.
Need some Elite 8 Muppets!
Fully expected a loss today, in keeping with the rest of this kick-in-the-groin sports weekend.
Glad to see Michigan win over BPONE (and FSU).
Moar Muppets!
I'm not too impressed with either Alabama or UCLA
For reasons I can't put my finger on, I feel like I'd prefer playing UCLA over Alabama. They seem like they play a game that we match up better on.
I'd rather play 'bama because they are the two; also, that's who I picked in my bracket.
Careful what you wish for. Innmy bracket i have beating UCLA, and am the only one to have picked them to go even halfway close this far. UCLA can play. Alabama was the easier draw because shut down the three and they become ordinary. The team that we don't match up well with is USC.
Hail to the Victors! Impressive win.
Nice five pack of human victory cigars.
All around complete game. Fun to watch. Juwan has this team disciplined and focused.
Absolute Performance.
Du hast MICH.
Go Blue.
I had said prior to the tournament that at least 2 of 3 things have to happen for us to make it past the Sweet 16 due to Livers' absence:
1) Chaundee had to play with consistency ✅
2) Johns needed to continue playing like he was in the B1G tourney ✅
3) Franz needed to up his usage ✅
All 3 of those things happened today and last game. Let's keep it going
And let’s not undervalue the impact of Mike Smith. He manages the game so damn well, he really doesn’t get enough credit.
I am so happy for this team. They deserve everything they are getting. What a joy to watch.
FSU
Last game it was Eli and Chaundee
This game Johns Jr, Big Country and Jace
TEAM wins
People are step-in' up!
This was definitely a performance reminiscent of earlier in the year when Michigan was groovin’. The leading scorers were Johns/Dickinson with 14, Wagner with 13, and Brown with 12. I love the balance!
Great win. I do hope this lays to rest the notion that UM isn't talented enough to hang with "athletic" teams. I think some of it is football hangover but UM absolutely has elite basketball players and also elite coaching, and we're seeing just how potent that combination is.
NO ONE jumps higher than Chaundee did on his incredible offensive rebound today. That guy is an athlete!
Absolutely. And like, we saw Brooks double-pump a dunk earlier this year. Mike Smith is shorter than most guys but still runs an elite offense and generates separation pretty consistently. Wagner has gone up against a number of future NBA players and more than held his own. This is a supremely talented and athletic team that can run with anyone.
Wagner's an athletic freak - absurd octopus arms and crazy smooth (at least going right) for guy his size.
Not many 6-9 college guys with a handle as good as he has + ability to finish + good stroke +++ outstanding body control.
Athlete.
March 29th, 2021 at 12:43 AM ^
If he can get his 3pt shooting up to 40% he'll be a lottery pick.
I've only watched 7-8 games this year, but you can tell with Chaundee's flashes that he can be explosive when he needs to be, but that he's playing team ball to wins games.
Yeah, the "athletic teams" take is pretty dumb, isn't it? We just watched Franz clown a lottery pick, Chaundee sail over a crowd for a rebound, and Mike Smith jet past everyone at will, but that take still probably won't go away.
That Suggs guy from Gonzaga looks terrifying in real time, but it's hard to tell given the level of competition. Would love to take a swing at the Zags.
Me too. Even if we end up losing to them, I would love to see how we stack up.
Absolutely. Are there individual better athletes left in the tourney? Sure. But I've watched a lot of this March Madness and UM looks absolutely as talented and athletic as any of them.
One thing the Tourney almost always shows is how skilled teams who are well-coached usually beat athletic teams who have less skill and are less well-coached. That's how teams like Loyola and Oral Roberts and Abilene Christian managed to beat far more athletic teams
Damn Wolverines! You are looking real good! Go Blue!
“Let’s go”? Did you mean, “LFG!!!!!!!”?
Whoa, that's an impressive box score - what a team effort!
Kudos on the Franz photo and really nice write-up - well done.
Cannot be more impressed with Coach Howard - what a fantastic job he's done - damn. Damn!
It's all gravy from here - another great season to savor, and happy memories during a crappy time.
Keep dancin', boys - Go Blue!
TBS told me it's their first elite 8 since 2018. Great to get out of this longstanding drought theyve been in.
Huh? There was no elite 8 last year. So there’s been one since. TBS sucks.
Yeah that's funny.
1st since 2018 = 2 Elite 8s in 3 tourneys
Chaundee +20 in 22 minutes. I’d like to see what he could do if given 32 minutes. Solid team effort. Hoping to tread water with Austin Davis in, he throws up a +18 in 8 minutes.
Both he and Davis are so effective because they play all-out. If you stretch out their minutes they can't maintain that energy level - bound to get tired.
Love the energy and emotion and all-out attitude they both bring - perfect role players!
March 28th, 2021 at 11:08 PM ^
Also, who do you bench to give them that much time?
Austin Davis 8 minutes +18. I “felt like” we dominated when he was on the floor and was waiting to see how much. THIS is the most impressive stat I’ve seen the entire tournament. Your backup center gives you 8 minutes at +18, I have a hard time believing that’s been done before.
Yup, it seemed like Davis came in and all of a sudden Michigan was running the world's greatest offensive clinic. It seemed like we had 4 guys making perfectly timed cuts with Davis moving around setting screens in the middle. It's one thing to draw up those sets, another thing to execute them. It was really brilliant basketball to watch.
This coaching staff has stealthily built Davis and Johns into very solid contributors. If this team can get by with a 7-man rotation, which can be done, they could still win it all-even without Isaiah.
Congrats to Illinois for earning a share of the Big Ten's trip to the Elite Eight
This gets sweeter and sweeter-as Michigan racks up the wins.
Underwood, Turgeon and McCaffery-eat your hearts out.
Florida State may have more raw talent than Michigan, but Michigan looked like the far more mature and better-coached team tonight. That was impressive.
Also, how about Brandon Johns?!
Depends on how you define talent. Basketball talent is more than length, height, ability to run and jump. It’s about having control of your body and being able to see in your mind what is happening and what is going to happen. And the ability to learn...,
Right. I don't care how athletic you are if you can't keep yourself from repeatedly shuffling your feet under the basket and getting whistled for traveling.
March 28th, 2021 at 11:48 PM ^
Athleticism yes, talent no. Florida State teams are rarely all that talented. They're hyper-athletic, long-armed, and always have enormous 7-footers. But they probably have less actual basketball talent than 3/4 of the tournament. There's a good reason there's a dearth of FSU alums in the NBA. Michigan had enough athleticism to run with them and bucketloads more basketball talent, and was completely unfazed by FSU's press.
And the coach’s son is on the board with his first tourney points!!
March 28th, 2021 at 11:10 PM ^
No doubt this made Mama Howard happy, which is probably one reason why Juwan was fist pumping! LOL!!
Leonard Hamilton will always have Season 4 of the Wire to be proud of.
March 28th, 2021 at 11:48 PM ^
Wonder how Webay's kid is doing...
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