Michigan Took Down Loyola-Chicago To Earn A Spot In The National Championship Game

The Michigan Wolverines will play for a national title. No. 3 Michigan squared off against No. 11 Loyola-Chicago in the first game of the 2018 Final Four, and while the Cinderella story that was the Ramblers looked like it might continue through the game’s first half, Moe Wagner would not let the Wolverines miss out on the title game. By the time the clock hit zero, Michigan came out on top, 69-57.

Wagner was absolutely brilliant on Saturday night, going for 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field with 15 rebounds and three steals. The Ramblers, whose biggest weakness was a general lack of size, just could not keep up with the 6’11 German export for the Wolverines.

All year long, Wagner has given opponents headaches with his unique inside-out game, and that was the case on Saturday. He was cleaning up the glass just as easily as he was stepping outside and drilling shots from downtown.

And when he had to dip into the bag of tricks, Wagner used his killer pump fake to get defenders in the air.

Wagner wasn’t the only Michigan player to get the job done from the field, even though it took a while for the Wolverines (which scored 22 first-half points) to find their groove. Guard Charles Matthews went for 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including this jam that served as an exclamation point on the win.

For Loyola-Chicago, the big issue came from an inability to hit shots from downtown. The Ramblers came into this game 11th nationally in three-point shooting percentage, but on Saturday, the team connected on only one of their 10 attempts from deep.

While guard Clayton Custer had a solid night with 15 points, the standout was freshman big man Cameron Krutwig. His 17 points were a team high, and his mix of low post savvy and ability to hit difficult shots were wildly entertaining.

Unfortunately for Loyola-Chicago and fans of Cinderellas everywhere, though, it ultimately was not enough. The Wolverines will continue dancing, and on Monday night, they’ll take on either Kansas or Villanova with a national championship on the line.