INDIANAPOLIS — A game no one had talked about all week nearly became a game no one would have been able to stop talking about.
Playing in the shadow of the Kentucky-Louisville main event Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Michigan-Tennessee undercard served its entertaining, yet underwhelming role, with the second-seeded Wolverines holding a 15-point lead midway through the second half.
Then, the massacre turned into a meltdown.
After forcing a string of late turnovers, 11th-seeded Tennessee clawed back within one, but a charging call against the Volunteers in the final seconds allowed second-seeded Michigan to hold on for a 73-71 Midwest Regional Sweet 16 win, putting the Wolverines one win shy of their second straight Final Four, after going 20 years without an appearance.
Michigan will play No. 8 Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
“It would have been a tough bus ride back, but we didn’t [lose],” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “It didn’t happen, so I’m not going to worry about it one minute.”
The Volunteers looked like helpless bystanders most of the evening, unable to slow a Michigan offense which shot over 61 percent in the first half and hit 55 percent of its 3-pointers. Trailing 60-45 with under 11 minutes remaining, Tennessee turned the game with its length, carried by Jordan McRae’s 24 points.
After an inexplicable pair of Michigan turnovers in the final minute, Tennessee trailed by one with 9.6 seconds remaining. Working on the left wing, Jarnell Stokes drove hard on Jordan Morgan, but was called for a charge, giving Michigan the ball back with six seconds left.
Tennessee — looking for its second-ever Elite Eight appearance — did not get another shot off.
“I thought [Stokes] made a good move and the official called it a charge,” Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said quickly, letting the silence say the rest of what he wanted to say.
The Wolverines (28-8) were surprisingly strong on the glass most of the game, not bothered by Tennessee’s (24-13) length until late in the game, as Jordan Morgan’s inside presence provided 15 points (7-of-9 shooting) and seven rebounds for Michigan.
“We heard all week about [how] they had mismatches and how we couldn’t guard them inside,” Morgan said. “I guess people forgot we play in the Big Ten and we won the Big Ten outright. So we’re not really soft around here. That’s not who we are … it’s a pride thing for us. We’re not about to get punked.”
Both teams came out shooting spectacularly, with Tennessee holding its last lead at 19-18, but Michigan’s balance would have overwhelmed almost any defense, as six players scored at least nine points.
The 45-34 halftime lead held, just barely. But this time of year, barely is good enough.
“So pleased to get this win,” Beilein said. “Certainly it was a lot of drama at the end, but we’ve had a lot of that this year and a win is a win.”