For college basketball fans, there’s only one more game. One single matchup that will decide the champions of one of the least predictable, most insane regular seasons to date.
In a year where no team seemed to want the top ranking (at least for very long, that is), the Michigan Wolverines recently proved they’re the team that wants it more than anyone else.
One week ago, in a Sweet Sixteen clash more memorable than most, Michigan came back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Kansas Jayhawks, a one-seed. One of the greatest comebacks in NCAA tournament history would not have happened if Wolverine Trey Burke had not nailed a three-point Hail Mary with four seconds remaining. Michigan then knocked out Florida and Syracuse in the Elite Eight and Final Four, respectively, to earn a spot in the title game.
It’s not just Trey Burke who has stepped up for his team. The recent Wooden award recipient, which goes out to college basketball’s most outstanding player, has gotten help from his teammates on the offensive end. Freshman Mitch McGary had the best game of his collegiate career against Kansas, scoring 25 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Fellow rookie Nik Stauskas scored 22 points in the blowout of Florida.
And, in the Final Four game against a Syracuse team whose 2-3 zone defense had absolutely stifled Indian, the Wolverines used transition points to notch a five-point victory. Michigan used paddles in practice to simulate Syracuse’s formidable defense. Whether or not the props had anything to do with Michigan’s performance, this just seems like a team that has it together.
The Wolverines’ defense has also tightened in March. For a team that featured a notoriously loose defense down the final stretch of the regular season, it has not allowed a single opponent in the tournament (except for Kansas) to score more than 59 points.
This team also has history behind it. Though the sophomore Burke is the undisputed leader of the Wolverines, two big contributors on this team have fathers who starred in the NBA: Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway, Jr. Though coming from a proven pedigree doesn’t always guarantee success, it doesn’t look like it has hurt these two studs.
Coach John Beilein and the Michigan Wolverines will be the ones cutting down the net later tonight in Atlanta, Ga. A team that many feared might go down in the Round of 64, these players have convinced the nation they are a team with a purpose. Though Louisville will draw motivation from Kevin Ware’s recent injury, Michigan’s blistering offense and intangibles from its leaders will give the school its first title since 1989.
