DENVER – Michigan basketball is moving on to the Sweet 16 after an upset win over Texas A&M.
The Wolverines got key contributions from their bench en route to erasing a 10-point second-half deficit and ultimately beating the Aggies 91-79.
Now No. 1 Auburn, the top seed in the whole tournament, awaits.
Here are four takeaways from the game.
Gayle-forced win
Sunday’s performance was Roddy Gayle Jr.’s best as a Michigan Wolverine.
The Ohio State transfer delivered off the bench, dropping 26 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four threes, finding himself at the center of multiple key plays on a 16-3 run which broke the game open late in the second half.
A chorus of “Roddy, Roddy, Roddy” echoed around Denver’s Ball Arena in the closing moments and Michigan returned to the locker room chanting the junior guard’s name.
“It’s an amazing feeling, especially with all that we’ve been through,” Gayle Jr. said. “I feel like we’re clicking at the right time, especially how we were able to finish the Big Ten Tournament. I just feel like we have great team chemistry right now. The kind of energy that my teammates give me, I just feed off it.”
Bench players provide sparks
Gayle Jr. wasn’t the only Wolverine to make an impact off the bench.
True freshman guard LJ Cason resuscitated a struggling offense midway through the second half, contributing 11 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Although Michigan’s stars played well -- particularly seven-footers Vladislav Golden (23 points and 12 rebounds) and Danny Wolf (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) -- they don’t run down the Aggies if Cason doesn’t come up clutch.
“I thought L.J. ignited this run. We were flat,” head coach Dusty May said. “I start thinking, ‘Man, do we have enough in the tank?’ So we wanted to get to our bench. We trust those guys. We know how good they are. When they don’t play, we’re going with somebody that’s probably a little bit older and done it before. But (Cason’s) energy, ability to get in the paint, and decision-making was great.”
Cleaning the glass shatters the Aggies
Texas A&M entered as the top-ranked offensive rebounding team in the nation and fourth-best in total rebounds. The Maize and Blue beat them on the boards, utilizing their size advantage, limiting second chances and controlling play in the paint for most of the game.
Michigan out-rebounded the Aggies 48-39 overall and 16-15 on the offensive glass, also leading 42-34 in points in the paint.
“Coach has given us a great understanding who they are and what they do well,” Goldin said after hauling in 12 boards. “We played a game before against one of the best stealing teams, now we play against one of the best offensive rebound teams. Just a mindset. If we know what they do, we will have to adjust it and have the same physicality.”
How Sweet it is (to set a standard)
Michigan has advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times in the last 12 NCAA Tournaments with three head coaches.
Before John Beilein brought the 2013 squad all the way to the national championship game (a runner-up finish to Louisville), the Wolverines had failed to make the Sweet 16 for 19 seasons prior.
For all their differences, the John Beilein, Juwan Howard, and Dusty May tenures all have a common standard. In his first season, May has delivered a turnaround and fulfilled a promise to the program.
“When we narrow our focus and we have a real team initiative on something we want to get done together, it shows what we’re capable of,” May said. “Sometimes when you start a program new, you want to implement everything. You want your culture, you want your processes, you want your environment. You’re constantly trying to get things the way you want them and if it’s not going well, sometimes you’re kind of inching it there. Sometimes maybe we’ve done too much. I just know when this group is locked in on something together, then they’re going to figure out a way to do it.”
Against all preseason and pre-Big Ten Tournament odds, they’ve figured out a way to move on again, awaiting Auburn on Friday in Atlanta.
