The Wolverines hit 14 3s and shot 62 percent in a game that was never competitive.
LOS ANGELES — There was a Staples Center security guard assigned to the Michigan bench who sat with his back to the basket the Wolverines shot at in the first half. He couldn’t see what was happening on the court, but he didn’t need to.
Every minute or so, he’d experience the same thing: loud roar; Wolverines going wild. By the time he stood for halftime, Michigan had made 20 baskets, including 10 3s, and led by 24 points.
The Wolverines didn’t let up Thursday, dismantling Texas A&M 99-72 to advance to the Elite Eight. Michigan will face the winner of Gonzaga-Florida State — tipping Thursday night — on Saturday.
After facing questions for nearly a week about its sluggish offense — Michigan had struggled to score in NCAA Tournament wins against Montana and Houston — Michigan made it rain on a wet Los Angeles afternoon, thrilling a mostly maize-and-blue crowd.
Michigan shot a blistering 62 percent (39-for-63), including 14-for-24 (58 percent) from 3. Just for good measure, the Wolverines went 7-for-8 from the foul line. Ten players scored.
Michigan led 9-2,19-6, and 33-12 at the 8:29 mark after Charles Matthews became the seventh Wolverine to hit a 3. The lead grew as large as 29 points in the first half. Michigan led 52-28 at half and the margin never got closer than 18.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 24 points, Moritz Wagner had 21, and Matthews chipped in 18.
Defensively, Michigan followed a similar script to what got them to the Sweet 16: limit 3-pointers (the Aggies shot 3-for-15 from deep), rebound the misses (allowing 12 offensive rebounds is a decent performance), and force turnovers (A&M committed 14).
Zavier Simpson spearheaded the effort with five strip-steals, and Michigan’s frontcourt held up against A&M’s impressive size. Tyler Davis’ 24 points will easily be forgotten.
Michigan advanced to the regional final for the 14th time in program history. The Wolverines last got there in 2014. The 3-seeded Wolverines will be the designated « home » team against either 4 seed Gonzaga or 9 seed Florida State and will surely wear maize uniforms again. Tip time will be either 6:09 or 8:49 p.m. ET.
Texas A&M went on an 8-0 run late in the game to get within 18,79-61, but an expected competitive matchup never materialized. Michigan was focused; the Aggies were flat.
Michigan got off to a fast start and never looked back. Jordan Poole’s first shot since his game-winner against Houston was a shimmy-and-shake 3 that put U-M ahead 5-0. The freshman had entered the game after Matthews picked up a foul a little more than a minute in.
It was 9-2 after Wagner scored his third basket on a left-handed flip. Texas A&M committed three turnovers by the first media stoppage.
Abdur-Rahkman hit a second-chance 3 — after A&M showed zone — to make it 12-4 at the 15:28 mark. John Beilein used 10 players in the first seven minutes and Michigan built the lead to 19-6 on a transition 3 by Ibi Watson. Duncan Robinson got a friendly roll on his first shot attempt to make it 22-8.
Simpson drained a 3 and took A&M’s sixth turnover into a layup to make it 27-10 halfway through the first half. Matthews became the seventh Wolverine to hit a 3 (in 10 attempts), making it 33-12 and causing Billy Kennedy to call his second timeout with 8:26 left in the half.
Shortly after, the Wolverines could feel even better about their chances. Robinson scored two baskets at the rim to get to seven points. Michigan improved to 27-0 this season when he scores at least six points.
Michigan capped its afternoon with an alley-oop dunk by little-used big man Austin Davis and a 3 from walk-on C. J. Baird that had the bench in hysterics.
