As redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews walked back to the bench for a timeout with 23.8 seconds left, he grinned from ear to ear as his tongue sneaked out the left side of his mouth.
Matthews couldn’t help himself. Nor should he have.
He had just iced a win for Michigan. Leading, 55-50, and the shot clock winding down, he crossed over Wisconsin’s 6-foot-11 Nate Reuvers on the left wing to penetrate into the paint before launching a stepback fadeaway over Reuvers’ outstretched arm inside the right elbow. The ball left Matthews’ fingertips a millisecond before the buzzer sounded and splashed through the net. The U-M bench exploded. Crisler Center erupted. The game was over.
Not only did the jumper seal a redeeming win for Michigan, who had suffered its first loss of the year in Madison three weeks earlier, it sealed a redeeming offensive effort by Matthews.
