Defenses ruled the early going in Michigan’s Sweet 16 matchup with Texas Tech, as expected. One offense heated up in the second half, though, and it wasn't U-M's.
Michigan played uncharacteristically awful basketball for most of the game and fell 63-44 to the Red Raiders in the Sweet 16, ending their season 30-7.
The bad offense started early. The Wolverines turned it over four times in the first 5:30, a bad start in a game in which possessions were going to be so important. It was only 4-4 at 13:29, at which point there were as many officials trips to the monitor to check calls as there were made field goals for Michigan.
Texas Tech started 2-for-11 from the floor to U-M’s 2-for-10, both teams struggling to get good looks or to even get close when they got them on several.
Tech finally made a shot after both teams came up empty for several minutes, taking an 8-6 lead on a Brandone Francis jumper from the corner at 9:12. The Wolverines continued to take and miss tough shots, starting 3-for-14. Tech’s triple from Davide Moretti made an 11-6 lead seem like a 10-point edge.
Michigan couldn’t buy a bucket for most of the half. Center Jon Teske had a triple rim around twice and out, and frosh Ignas Brazdeikis missed a layup on the rebound. Tech took a five-point lead on the other end, but Brazdekis’ drive and finish pulled Michigan back within 15-12. Teske missed a pair of free throws that would have cut it to one.
Tech guard Matt Mooney’s desperation triple as the shot clock wound down banked in and gave Tech a six-point edge at the three-minute mark. It was that kind of half for the Wolverines.
It ended with another Jordan Poole turnover, followed by a Jarrett Culver finish on the other end and a 24-16 Texas Tech lead. It was hard to remember a worse offensive half of basketball for a John Beilein coached Michigan team, and it was the lowest scoring half by any Michigan team in NCAA Tournament history.
U-M made only seven of 25 shots, went 0-for-9 from three-point range and turned it over seven times. Poole, Charles Matthews, Brazdeikis and Teske all scored four points for the Wolverines.
SECOND HALF
Michigan got the ball inside to Teske on a good play to start the half, but he missed both free throws after being fouled. Mooney beat Simpson off the dribble for a jump shot, and when Moretti hit another triple it was 29-16.
U-M was in serious trouble.
The Wolverines continued to turn it over. They had three quick ones that Tech turned into points, and a Moretti transition three — his second triple of the half — made it 34-18 and forced a Michigan timeout at 16:56. Another blocked shot at the other end led to two more transition points for the Red Raiders, and the Wolverines completely lost their poise.
Poole finally answered with a drive and finish down 36-18 to get U-M to the 20-point mark. Brazdeikis brought the pro-Michigan crowd to life with a putback that cut it to 14, but U-M still couldn’t hit a triple. They were 0-for-12 from long range when sophomore Isaiah Livers missed a wide-open look from the corner, and Tech pushed back ahead on another short jumper over Simpson.
Michigan's guard would finish with no points, one assists and four turnovers in 36 minutes of play in his worst game of the season on both ends.
Kyler Edwards’ desperation triple as the shot clock wound down gave the Red Raiders their biggest lead, 41-22 at the 12:30 mark, an insurmountable lead the way Michigan was playing.
It was 43-27 at 11:30 when Brazdeikis finished a three-point play, but Tech answered with its own from its star, Jarrett Culver. Culver had 13 points at that point to Moretti’s 15. Only Brazdeikis (11) was in double figures for Michigan — he improved it to 13 with a jumper at 10:01, but Tech was still up 48-29.
The Wolverines were only playing for pride down the stretch, but they didn’t get much of it back. Mooney hit another three at the eight-minute mark, and all that was left was for the Red Raiders to run out the clock to prepare for an Elite Eight contest with Gonzaga.
Another Culver three-point play made it 59-35 with about five minutes remaining. At that point the Wolverines 0-for-15 from three-point range despite a number of decent looks. They'd finish 1-for-19 from long range, the one a squisher off the back rim by walk-on C.J. Baird with 20 seconds remaining.
Brazdeikis finished with 17 points and Matthews added 12 in Michigan's season-ending loss.
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