Michigan
21-4,14-3Big Ten
Texas Southern
17-9,10-3SWAC
Smith Leads Balanced U-M Attack in First-Round Win Over Texas Southern
3/20/2021 6:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan defeated Texas Southern in its NCAA first-round game and advances to take on LSU on Monday in the second round.
» Mike Smith scored a team-high 18 points, his fourth straight double-digit performance.
» Franz Wagner had a career-high six assists.
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: #4 Michigan 82, Texas Southern 66
Records: U-M (21-4), TSU (17-9)
Next U-M Event: Monday, March 22 -- vs. LSU - NCAA Tournament Second Round (Indianapolis, Ind.), 7:10 p.m. (TV: CBS)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Graduate student Mike Smith scored 18 points to lead a balanced offensive attack and the No. 4-ranked and East Region No. 1-seed University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated Texas Southern, 82-66, in its NCAA Tournament first-round game on Saturday (March 20) at Mackey Arena. With the win, the Wolverines move on to a second-round matchup against LSU.
The Wolverines capitalized on nine three-pointers and 21 free throws to go along with 41.8 percent shooting (26-for-54) from the field to eliminate the Tigers.
Smith paced Michigan with his 18 points -- his fourth straight double-digit scoring game -- and added five assists, four rebounds and one steal. Freshman Hunter Dickinson scored 16 points and had three blocks before fouling out, while senior Eli Brooks and junior Brandon Johns Jr. each added 11 points with Brooks draining three three-pointers and Johns making six free throws.
Sophomore Franz Wagner was an impact player with nine points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out a career-high six assists, while freshman Zeb Jackson knocked down two three-pointers. Graduate student Austin Davis came in off the bench to contribute seven points and two boards in six minutes of play.
The Wolverines came out of the gate with a hot hand, going on a 7-0 run before Brooks hit his second triple of the game to extend U-M's lead to 10-2 with 17:35 to go in the opening half.
Jackson came in off the bench and hit two triples to push Michigan to a 29-12 advantage with just over seven minutes to play. Both teams cooled off on the offensive end before a 6-0 U-M run with four made free throws gave it a 35-20 advantage with four minutes Left in the half.
Michigan capitalized on Texas Southern fouls, making 13 first-half free throws and taking a 42-24 lead into the halftime break. Smith scored nine points with four free throws and Dickinson added eight points with two blocks in the first 20 minutes.
Brooks started the second half much like the first with a fast triple and Johns grabbed a swipe on defense before draining a three-pointer on the opposite end of the floor to give Michigan a 55-31 edge with just over 15 minutes remaining in the first round contest.
Texas Southern used a 7-0 spurt to cut the U-M lead to 12 points, 73-61, heading into the final media break of the game, but it would be as close as the Tigers would come as U-M easily cruised to the win.
Michigan will take on another team of Tigers when it plays LSU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday (March 22) at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 7:10 pm. tipoff and will be televised by CBS.
