Michigan Hit An Insane Buzzer-Beater Three To Beat Houston And Advance To The Sweet 16

Michigan appeared all but out of the NCAA Tournament with Houston headed to the free throw line up two points with 3.6 seconds to play on Saturday night, but a pair of missed free throws by the Cougars left the door ajar for the Wolverines.

After a timeout, Isaiah Livers passed the ball in to Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman near midcourt, who turned to find freshman Jordan Poole well beyond the arc on the wing. Poole rose up above a closing Houston defender and drilled the deep three to give Michigan the stunning 64-63 win and a trip to the Sweet 16.

The alternate angle of Poole’s heroic shot is stunning, and his “run away from the team” celebration was a classic.

Houston briefly appeared in control of the game before a crazy five point possession allowed Michigan back in and to eventually take the slim lead late.

The two teams traded a few buckets, including a huge three to tie from Houston as Michigan started going on run, but neither team could string together much in the way of consistent offense late.

From there, both teams went almost impossibly cold until Poole broke the cold spell with that final bucket as the Wolverines continue to appear to be a team of destiny after their run through the Big Ten Tournament and now to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to Poole’s three, this was the final bucket for the Wolverines, and even it took multiple efforts before being willing to go down.

Rob Gray led the way for Houston with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but the Cougars came up just shy of the Sweet 16. Michigan had four players in double figures, but none with more than 12 points on the night. Poole finished with eight points, but the three biggest on the evening.