The Wolverine

May 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 21 also the second-best showing by a U-M team in the NCAA Tournament. R e d s h i r t s o p h o m o re C h a r l e s Matthews' 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting was perhaps the biggest development from a U-M standpoint. He'd played well in Wichita, and he was quietly regaining the confidence that made him Michigan's best player early in the year. Beilein, though, said he'd never forget his team's response to Baird's three-pointer. "I watched our bench, and that shows you, when you have a non- scholarship player that the team likes that much … he just gives us buckets in practice, too," he said. "Those are great moments. Those are the ones I may remember more than others." If the crowd was pro-Michigan Thursday night (and it was), it was downright intimidating two days later in an Elite Eight matchup with Florida State. The Seminoles had knocked off No. 1 seed Xavier on their way to the regional final, and they'd done it the way Michigan had been winning — with their defense. The Wolverines wouldn't shoot as well as they did against the Aggies, staying in a grinder with stifling defense and just enough offense. They led 27-26 at the half despite making only 7 of 21 shots compared to FSU's 9 of 21, and they struggled at times with the Seminoles' lengthy zone defense. Once again, Matthews rose to the challenge. He followed up his 18-point showing with a game-high 17, plus a team-high eight rebounds, and played stifling defense to help the Wolverines escape with a 58-54 win. H e w a s i n d i s b e l i e f w h e n announced as the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player. "It was special," Matthews said. "Last year all I used to hear in practice was, 'turnover Matthews, turnover Matthews' and 'go see 212.' That's when I have to run up to the top of the bleachers [after a turnover]. "But I stayed with it. Coach stayed on me. He continued to believe in me, and that continued to help my confidence grow. My teammates believe in me, and I believe in them, so it's just been a special feeling." Maize-and-blue confetti rained down before the Wolverines cut the nets and sang "The Victors" in front of thousands of Michigan fans. They'd won with grit and defense, two traits Beilein's program had been criticized for lacking in the past, and advanced to the Final Four despite making only 4 of 22 triples and 16 of 24 free throws, missing a number down the stretch. "I've never seen a team work so hard and be so connected on both ends of the floor, even when things do not go right on the offensive end," Beilein marveled. "They were exceptional on defense. "We had a string of plays where [senior] Moe [Wagner] was wide open, Charles was wide open, Duncan was wide open [and missed], and they didn't go down and sulk at the other end. They ended up just playing better defense so that we could win the game." In doing so, they advanced to the program's second Final Four in six years. THE FINAL FOUR: SAN ANTONIO Beilein might not have admitted it, but his Wolverines played like they had a lot to lose in a Final Four matchup with Loyola Chicago that, until the Wolverines turned it up in the last 10 minutes, looked more like a sloppy first-round game against Montana. In the first half, the Wolverines In six NCAA Tournament games, redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. PHOTO BY SAMUEL MOUSIGIAN

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