Third-seeded Michigan men’s basketball beat No. 2 seed Maryland 81-80 on a last-second Tre Donaldson layup to advance to the Big Ten championship Saturday. The Wolverines were up by as much as 15 in the second half, and after letting the Terrapins back in the game, they were able to pull it out.
“We’re coming together at the right time, and that’s our goal,” Donaldson told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game.
It will be Michigan’s first appearance in the Big Ten championship since 2019, and Dusty May will look to become the first head coach in conference history to win the tournament in his first season.
Michigan basketball beats Maryland for Big Ten championship bid
Freshman Maryland center Derik Queen was busy on offense early and often Saturday. Queen and fellow big-man Julian Reese combined for 12 of the Terrapins’ first 23 points. Maryland led 23-16 after 11 minutes, but the Wolverines ended the half on a 20-11 run to go into halftime up 38-34.
Michigan guard Nimari Burnett led the way for his team with ten points in the first half, including two (of 3) threes. The Wolverines also got eight points each from Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin, and Roddy Gayle Jr. added seven.
Leading into the conference tournament, Gayle Jr. had only scored seven or more points four times since the beginning of February. He’s done it in both of Michigan’s tournament games.
Here come the Wolverines
Coming out of the half, the Wolf and Goldin combined for nine unanswered points in less than three minutes to grab a 15-point lead (49-34) for the Wolverines. Much like the regular season, Michigan wasn’t able to hold on to its big lead.
The Wolverines led 61-50 when the Terps went on a 14-0 run to grab their first lead of the second half. Queen was undeniable during the stretch as he accounted for ten points, including a three pointer. During the entire run, Donaldson and Wolf were on the bench.
When the starters returned to the floor, Michigan was able to get the lead back in less than two minutes of game time. Goldin was doing damage in the paint, and his three-pointer with with four minutes left gave the Wolverines a 74-71 advantage.
The final stretch
The game was tied again at 76 with 43 seconds on the clock. Donaldson hit a three-pointer to take the lead and Michigan took a timeout. Reese made a layup on the next possession, and after Wolf was fouled and missed his free throw, Rubin Jones fouled out and sent Queen to the line for two.
Queen made both free throws to give the Terps an 80-79 lead with 5.3 seconds on the clock and no timeouts for either team. Donaldson inbounded the ball to Wolf, got it back and ran the length of the court to put in the go-ahead layup over Queen and Reese. With 0.4 seconds left and the entire court to travel, Maryland needed a miracle and came up empty.
Donaldson said it was all part of the plan of head coach Dusty May.
“Coach drew up the play for me to get downhill and I needed to make a play for my teammates and make a play for myself,” Donaldson told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game. “My teammates put me in a great situation and I was able to finish it, but all glory goes to god.”
May said the close games Michigan won throughout the regular season are coming in handy.
“They’ve done it all year. We’ve been really good in these late games because we just stay the course and we play ball,” May said after the game. “I don’t think we’re consumed by what’s on the scoreboard, but at the end of the day these guys made the plays.”
The Wolverines will square off against No. 5 seed Wisconsin Sunday (March 15) at 3:30 p.m. for the Big Ten tournament title. Michigan beat the Badgers in the regular season on Dec. 3 (67-64).
Notable Stats
Goldin finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with ten rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Wolf tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Donaldson (12 points) and Burnett (ten points) were the only other Wolverines to score in double-digits.
Queen led all scorers with a career-high 31 points.
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