Michigan Blows Out Florida State, 76-58, To Advance To The Elite Eight
Did you miss any of the Michigan Wolverines' dominant basketball blowout of the Florida State Seminoles today in the Sweet Sixteen? U-M will next play in the Elite Eight Tuesday night against the winner of UCLA/Alabama.
Here's how the entire contest unfolded…
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First Half
Sophomore guard Franz Wagner got Michigan on the board first today, hitting a short jumper on U-M's first possession to tie the game at 2-2. It was a bit of a sluggish offensive start for both teams though, with the score tied at just 4-4 at the under-16 timeout.
The Wolverines were one-of-four from the field at that point and the Seminoles were two-of-six. Junior forward Brandon Johns scored six of U-M's first nine points when the Maize and Blue's advantage was a narrow 9-8 with 13:28 remaining, when head coach Juwan Howard called a timeout to slow down what was an extremely fast-paced start (at least from a tempo standpoint).
Back-to-back three-pointers from fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith and senior guard Chaundee Brown ensued soon after to put Michigan up 17-8, and that's where the score stood at the under-12 timeout.
The Wolverines were on a nice 8-0 run at that juncture. U-M's lead sat at nine (23-14) at the under-eight break following a lay in from freshman center Hunter Dickinson off a missed shot (from himself).
Florida State's offense had finally heated up at that point though (at least a little bit), having hit its last three shots. The primary aspect that was hindering the Seminoles' offense though was the fact they had already committed nine turnovers.
Michigan grabbed its biggest lead of the half with 4:55 remaining when Dickinson threw down a monstrous slam off a beautiful assist from Wagner, which stretched the Wolverine lead to 27-14.
Florida State was an ice cold 0-of-6 from three-point range at that point. Dickinson was Michigan's leading scorer with seven points, and the Maize and Blue were up 27-16 at the under-four media break.
Johns continued his solid play by draining two free throws with just 1:03 left in the half, and his two points put U-M up 32-19. Michigan's offense finished the half in a bit of a drought though, ending the stanza by only making one of its final seven shots.
U-M's margin was 32-21 at the intermission, and both teams only shot 33 percent for the half.
Second Half
A lay in from Johns to start the second half put U-M up 34-21, and a lay in in transition from Wagner at the 18:12 mark sustained Michigan's 36-25 lead. The Seminoles finally got some momentum when guard RaiQuan Gray converted an and-one at 16:27 to trim their deficit to 38-30.
U-M's edge was 40-30 at the under-16 timeout, and Johns was the leading scorer with 12 points. Things got a bit dicey for U-M when two straight Florida State triples (the second of which came at 14:50) cut Michigan's margin to just 41-36.
The Wolverines answered immediately though (just as they did all afternoon), with Smith converting a massive and-one to kill Florida State's momentum right away. The bucket made the score 44-36.
Michigan maintained its nine-point lead (50-41) at the under-12 timeout, and the Wolverines had hit four of their last five shots at that juncture. The Maize and Blue defense, meanwhile, was also playing great, holding FSU to just 40 percent from the field.
Smith converted another and-one with 9:48 to go, giving U-M its biggest lead of the afternoon up to that point at 56-41. The Wolverines were a red-hot 12-of-14 from the field in the second half.
The lead was extended to 60-43 (its largest up to that juncture) off a Wagner lay in with 7:36 to go, and Michigan had hit six of its last eight shots. The Seminoles, meanwhile, were stuck in a 2:18 scoring drought.
Michigan's blowout was enhanced when senior guard Chaundee Brown drained a triple from the top of the key at the 5:15 mark to make the score 65-46, and the Wolverines were on cruise control.
Two Wagner free throws ballooned the advantage to 20 (68-48) at 4:03, and U-M's edge was an impressive 72-51 at the under-four media break. Michigan's stifling defense was holding Florida State to just 39 percent shooting.
Head coach Juwan Howard emptied his bench with 1:35 remaining and U-M leading 73-53. A special moment then occurred with just 1:05 to go, when freshman guard Jace Howard (Juwan's son) converted an and-one to put the exclamation point on Michigan's dominant win, making the score 76-53.
The Seminoles ended the game on a quick 5-0 run, but that didn't put a damper on Michigan's 76-58 triumph. The Wolverines shot 49 percent for the game, and four different players scored in double figures.
FSU shot just 40 percent on the afternoon. U-M will next take on the winner of UCLA and Alabama Tuesday night in the Elite Eight.
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