The Michigan Wolverines weren’t supposed to win a shootout against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the NCAA Tournament. After all, John Beilein’s team employs a glacial pace on both ends by design and, given the offensive explosiveness of their opponent, a low-scoring game with a slower tempo seemed to favor the 7th-seeded Wolverines. After 40 minutes of insanely entertaining basketball, Michigan escaped with a 92-91 victory to advance to the Round of 32.
This was strangely fitting, because Michigan’s current run that began before the NCAA Tournament tipped off has been both unthinkable and utterly amazing.
“It shows the incredible resiliency of this group. We’ve been showing it for a few weeks now. No matter what happens, we’re going to find a way. Today it was the 3-point shot and that kid over there.”
Those are the words of sophomore big man Mo Wagner in the aftermath of the Oklahoma State victory. His comments were directed toward senior point guard Derrick Walton. While Walton was not selected as even a first-team All-Big Ten guard this season (a tidbit that any Michigan will quickly share without prompting), the seasoned veteran has morphed into one of the best players in the country.
Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans, who is seen as a legitimate NBA first-round talent, scored 23 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed seven rebounds in the game. That, in itself, would seemingly indicate that Walton was soundly defeated in his individual match-up at point guard, but Michigan’s leader submitted a 26-point, 11-assist performance that included big shot after big shot down the stretch.
That was nothing new from Walton, who was easily Michigan’s most outstanding player during an unlikely run to the Big Ten title in Washington, D.C. last week. By now, you likely know that the Wolverines’ trip began with a perilous plane crash, and after four wins in four days, head coach John Beilein said that his team would “win a Final Four if we could execute everything” in the way that they did while exiting the broken aircraft.
By the look of what Michigan was able to do, Beilein might be on to something. Obviously, equating what transpired during and after that failed flight with on-court performance is an interesting exercise, Michigan has quietly become one of the best teams in the country over the past few weeks. The Wolverines earned “only” a No. 7 seed in the midst of some odd seeding by the selection committee – Big Ten seeds getting underseeded was a common sight when the bracket was revealed – but Michigan entered Friday’s game as the 20th-best team nationally according to KenPom’s metrics. You can even argue that their recent play actually highlights an even higher level of play.
Over the last 13 games, Michigan is 11-2. The team’s two losses came to Minnesota (a No. 5 seed) on the road in overtime and to Northwestern (a first-round NCAA Tournament winner) on the road on a last-second “Hail Mary” connection. In short, the Wolverines are peaking at the perfect time and, finally, are playing like a team that beautifully mixes high-level experience with youth and potential NBA talent.
This is a roster that does not boast a single sure-fire NBA player, even with the emergence of Wagner and fellow big man D.J. Wilson as intriguing professional prospects. Still, Walton and senior guard Zak Irvin have been through the rigors that come with being four-year contributors and Michigan’s offense ranks among the top-five nationally due to its spacing, scheme design and immense level of skill.
Michigan will enter its second-round matchup against Louisville as a small underdog in Las Vegas. That is the nature of being a No. 7 seed and lining up against a No. 2 seed on a neutral court. In the same breath, it wouldn’t be difficult to argue that the underdog Wolverines are actually playing comparable (or potentially better) basketball than their opponents in advance of a rematch of the 2013 National Championship Game. Just what transpires during that 40-minute basketball game remains to be seen but, at this point, we know that Beilein and his team are playing outstanding basketball in the middle of a startling and impressive ride.
