Michigan
18-16,11-9Big Ten
Vanderbilt
22-14,11-7SEC
Late Vanderbilt Surge Ends Michigan's NIT Run, Season
3/18/2023 3:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team fell to Vanderbilt 66-65 in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament on Saturday (March 18) at Memorial Gymnasium.
Leaders and Best
Hunter Dickinson posted his 14th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Dug McDaniel added 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Joey Baker scored 11 points, all in the second half.
Turning Point
Vanderbilt (22-14) took advantage of three Michigan (18-16) turnovers in the final minute to go on a 9-0 run and take a one-point lead with 12 seconds to play. Layup attempts by McDaniel and Dickinson in the final seconds were off the mark, and Vanderbilt came away with the win.
Second Half
The two teams traded baskets over the first seven minutes of the second half, with neither team earning more than a three-point lead until Dickinson scored four straight points to give the Wolverines a 45-40 advantage with just under 13 minutes remaining. After a basket by Vanderbilt, Dickinson added seven unanswered points, including an and-one layup to stretch the Michigan lead 10.
The Commodores clawed back, outscoring the Wolverines 9-4 over the next two and a half minutes to pull within five and force a U-M timeout with 8:28 to play. Michigan held Vanderbilt scoreless for over three minutes out of the timeout, growing its lead to 59-51 behind three free throws from Tarris Reed Jr., but an and-one layup by Commodore Tyrin Lawrence cut the Maize and Blue advantage back to five.
Vanderbilt pulled within four after a three-pointer, but Baker and McDaniel each hit midrange jumpers to give Michigan an eight-point lead, 65-57, with 1:45 before the final buzzer.
The Commodores went on a 9-0 run in the last minute to take a 66-65 lead with 12 seconds to play. Michigan missed two last-second shot attempts, and Vanderbilt took the win.
First Half
Michigan took a quick 5-0 lead behind an early three-pointer from Youssef Khayat, but Vanderbilt countered with a 17-0 run to force a U-M timeout with 12:51 before the break.
Out of the timeout, the Wolverines stepped up on both ends, sparking a 15-3 run to tie the game at 20. McDaniel scored 11 of the 15 points during the run, including the last eight. After a pair of free throws from Vanderbilt, Michigan added four unanswered points to reclaim a 24-22 edge with just under seven minutes until halftime.
Both offenses slowed in the final five minutes of the first half as the two teams shot a combined 33 percent (five-for-15) from the field. The lead changed hands four times during that span, with a hook shot from Dickinson in the final minute giving the Wolverines a 30-29 advantage at halftime.
Notes
• Khayat started in his first career game, replacing an injured Kobe Bufkin. Khayat scored three points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
• McDaniel became just the sixth U-M freshman to record at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in their debut season, and the first since Derrick Walton Jr. in 2013-14.
• Dickinson posted his 31st career double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds), tying Loy Vaught for sixth most in program history.
• The Wolverines outrebounded the Commodores 39-23, their second-largest rebounding margin of the season (Jan. 1 vs. Maryland, 49-30).
