Michigan
30-7
Houston
27-8
March Madness: Poole Sends Michigan to Sweet 16
3/17/2018 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Jordan Poole's three-pointer as time expired won the game for Michigan.
» Michigan has a 56-26 (46-22 after sanctions) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
» Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 11 straight games -- eight of which have come away from home.
» U-M advances to its fourth NCAA Sweet 16 in the last six years.
» Michigan had four players score in double figures.
Site: Wichita, Kan. (Intrust Bank Arena)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
Score: Michigan 64, Houston 63
Records: U-M (30-7), Houston (27-8)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, March 22 -- NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 - vs. Texas A&M (Los Angeles, Calif.), Time/TV TBA
WICHITA, Kan. -- Trailing by two points with 3.6 seconds left, the Wolverines drew up an improbable play for an improbable moment, and freshman Jordan Poole delivered. His long three-pointer splashed nothing but net as the buzzer sounded and the crowd at Intrust Bank Arena went wild as the University of Michigan men's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 64-63 win over sixth-seeded Houston.
The improbability of the moment perhaps countered Michigan's similarly improbable shooting on the night, as head coach John Beilein's Wolverines consistently misfired from deep to the tune of 26.7 percent shooting (8-of-30). The end result demonstrated the determination and poise of a team that never yields with a 30-win Michigan team now advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last six years. U-M will play in the Los Angeles Regional at the Staples Center on Thursday, March 22 against Texas A&M. Time and television have yet to be determined.Â
The game featured 17 lead changes and 12 ties with neither team leading by more than six.
After the teams hit the locker room at halftime with the score tied at 28, Houston scored the first four points of the second half. Moritz Wagner answered with a three and Cougar big man Breaon Brady picked up two fouls within the first four minutes of the half, sending him to the bench with four.
With a 42-41 lead, the Cougars were already in the bonus with 11:48 to play. After trading baskets, a Michigan turnover turned worse as the team was slow to get back on defense. Houston found their leading scorer, Rob Gray, on a long outlet for a 3-pointer and t gave the Cougars its largest lead of the game, 49-43, with 10:43 left.
Belein called timeout and Wagner responded with a long 3-pointer. He missed an opportunity to turn it into a four-point play as U-M fell to 6-of-11 from the line at that point, compared to Houston's 11-of-12 mark. Wagner soon went to the bench with his fourth foul with under nine minutes to play and a layup from Gray extended the Houston lead to 51-46.
The spurt coincided with a scoreless drought of nearly five minutes, during which the Wolverines were 0-for-6. That ended on a back-rim triple from Matthews at the 5:41 mark and U-M kept possession as Houston was whistled for a foul after the ball went through the hoop. Big man Jon Teske hit a pair of free throws to tie the game again before Gray answered with a rainbow baseline floater.
Teske was again fouled on a post-up and went back to the line for another one-and-one, and he was pure, tying the game at 53 apiece. Moments later, Duncan Robinson gave U-M its first lead of the second half with two free throws, 55-54, with 4:36 to go.
Michigan's defense bore down on the Cougars, as it forced an empty possession and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman went to the line for two free throws with 3:42 on the clock. He was perfect and U-M took a three-point lead only to have Armoni Brooks connect from deep on the other end to tie it.
The teams traded leads with Houston's Devin Davis logging a traditional three-point play as Robinson fouled out and the Cougars led, 60-59, with 2:06 left.
A pair of U-M shots narrowly rimmed out, but Wagner tipped in a shot to reclaim the lead at 61-60, as his follow-up free throw again misfired. Michigan again got a defensive stop and took possession with 1:14 left. U-M worked the shot clock down but didn't connect and Houston's Davis went to the line following a rebounding foul. He remained perfect at the line (8-of-8) as the Cougars reclaimed the lead, 62-61.
A layup from Abdur-Rahkman rimmed out, as did a great tip-in effort from Matthews, and Davis went back to the line with 26 seconds left. He missed the first and made the second for a 63-61 Houston advantage. A play stoppage followed with 17 seconds left, but Michigan again came up empty and Davis went back to the line. Davis missed both tries to set up the final opportunity of the game.
Abdur-Rahkman and Wagner led Michigan with 12 points apiece while Robinson and Matthews had 11 each. Gray led Houston with 23 points on high-volume shooting (8-of-22) and 10 rebounds, while Davis added 17 (4-12 FG, 9-12 FT) and seven boards.
Michigan endured a cold start from the floor for a second night in Wichita as the Wolverines misfired on their first seven shots overall, including six from long range. Houston only managed a 6-1 lead during that stretch, with Brady quickly benched with two fouls.
Robinson finally ended the drought with a long triple at the 14:25 mark and gave U-M its first lead moments later with another triple off a curl screen. The teams traded baskets before Zavier Simpson stripped Brooks and dished an outlet to Abudur-Rahkman, who converted a traditional three-point play for a 12-8 lead at the 12-minute mark.
Another Robinson triple and a nifty reverse layup from Wagner forced a Houston timeout at 10:05 with the Wolverines in the lead, 17-11. Houston regained the lead, 22-21, on a triple from Corey Davis with 6:16 left. The teams traded leads throughout the rest of a frenetic first half that ended in a 28-28 tie.
