The No. 4 seed Michigan Wolverines held off the No. 4 seed Syracuse Orange and advanced to national championship game in the NCAA tournament Saturday night, 61-56.
Syracuse had struggled to produce points on the offensive end of the floor but had relied on its tough 2-3 zone defense to make it to the Final Four. Tonight the Wolverines dissected the zone by hitting six 3-point shots before halftime and working the ball into freshman breakout star Mitch McGary at the high post.
Michigan got out to a 7-2 lead to begin the game, but the Orange went on a 12-2 run to grab a five point lead, its largest of the game. Michigan answered with a 27-11 run to close the half sparked by two Caris LeVert 3-pointers. The Wolverines led 36-25 at the break.
Syracuse slowly crawled back into the game in the second half as the 3-pointers stopped falling for Michigan and McGary was hindered by foul trouble. Trey Burke hit two free throws with just under a minute to go in the game to extend the Wolverines to six points. Brandon Triche answered with a layup eight seconds later. He was fouled but missed the and one free throw. The Orange fouled McGary, who missed both free throw attempts, and James Southerland hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one point.
The Wolverines ran out 14 seconds before Syracuse fouled Burke, who missed the first free throw but made the second free throw. Triche drove in for a layup with 19 seconds to go but was called for a foul on a charge call. The Orange fouled again to send Jon Horford to the line, and Horford also missed the first free throw and made the second free throw. Syracuse was unable to connect on a jump shot, and Michigan cashed in on the rebound with a full court pass that resulted in another two points to end the game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Wolverines with 13 points. Glenn Robinson III added 10 points. McGary added 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Burke struggled to find his rhythm, hitting only 1-8 from the floor. The Wolverines struggled from the line, making only 11 of 20 free throw attempts. Five of the misses came in the final 1:09 of the game.
C.J. Fair led the Orange with 22 points. Triche added 11 points and eight assists.
Michigan will face the overall No. 1 seed Louisville in the national championship game Monday at 9:23 p.m. (ET). Louisville advanced after defeating No. 9 seed Wichita State in the Final Four, 72-68.
For more information, visit www.NCAA.com.
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