Michigan beats Tulsa late to advance
Zak Irvin scored 16 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining, lifting Michigan to a 67-62 victory over Tulsa in an NCAA Tournament preliminary-round matchup Wednesday at University of Dayton Arena.
The 11th-seeded Wolverines (23-12) advance to face sixth-seeded Notre Dame on Friday in New York.
Tulsa and Michigan entered the NCAA Tournament with what many believed to be flimsy resumes. Both teams battled for their postseason lives Wednesday night in a game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties.
Michigan, which led the Big Ten Conference in 3-point efficiency, struggled from beyond the arc, as did Tulsa. The Wolverines finished 6-for-25 from long range, while Tulsa hit just three of 15 3-point attempts.
However, with the Wolverines trailing 60-59 and less than a minute left, Irvin delivered the game-winner.
Senior guard Shaquille Harrison scored 23 points for Tulsa, which had a season-low 20 points in the first half but rallied after halftime.
The Golden Hurricane (20-12) outscored Michigan 16-8 to begin the second half.
Michigan had a 23-16 rebounding advantage in the first half. However, after Harrison’s follow dunk that tied the score 36-36, the Wolverines led just 25-23 in the rebounding battle.
Harrison later slammed home a delivery from guard Rashad Ray to put Tulsa ahead 42-41 with fewer than 10 minutes remaining.
A 7-0 run put Michigan ahead 51-45 with seven minutes left.
Harrison’s layup put the Golden Hurricane ahead before Irvin sank the decisive 3-pointer.
Tulsa guard Pat Birt missed a potential game-tying shot, and Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. hit a pair of free throws to help seal the outcome.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman matched Irvin by scoring 16 points for Michigan. Forward Duncan Robinson had 13, and Walton finished with 12.
The Wolverines couldn’t find the basket early on, going 3-for-16 from the floor and 1-for-7 from 3-point range in the first 10 minutes.
Forward Rashad Smith’s jumper capped an 8-0 run to put Tulsa ahead 16-9.
Michigan responded with an 11-2 run prompting chants of “Let’s Go Blue” amid a smattering of boos in the home state of the rival Ohio State Buckeyes.
Walton’s 3-pointer dropped through the net after a few bounces, putting Michigan ahead 25-18. He hit another 3-pointer just before halftime to put the Wolverines ahead 28-20 at the break despite going 4-for-18 from beyond the arc. Walton scored 10 points in the half.
NOTES: It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. … Tulsa made its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. … The Golden Hurricane ranked 260th nationally allowing 36 percent shooting from 3-point range. … Michigan had a total of 47 games lost due to injury this season, including the final 19 games of the season missed by senior G Caris LeVert, the Wolverines’ leading scorer who sustained a lower left leg injury in December.
