INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — All season, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and his team have preached a similar mantra. “Next man up mentality” is something every player and coach has touched on this season. Through three games in the NCAA Tournament, they have proved to be more than a talking point; it is this Michigan team’s mentality.
On Sunday, Michigan (23-4) was just too much for Florida State (18-7); the Big Ten Regular Season Champions cruised to a 76-58 victory to reach their 4th Elite Eight since 2013.
In place of the injured Isaiah Livers, Brandon Johns Jr. provided his best performance of the year. His 14 points were tied a game-high and marked a season-high for him. His teammate Franz Wagner praised his effort and mentioned his role is key if Michigan wishes to make a run.
“I mean, he’s so talented. We always tell him that he can really be the best player out there when he steps on the court. So we have huge confidence in Brandon. I think he does too. You can see, he played a stellar game today, got some key offensive rebounds, and those little things, I think, are very important when you try to win the championship,” said Wagner.
Michigan Dominates in the Paint
Florida State offers a unique problem for opposing coaches to solve. With freshman point guard Scottie Barnes standing 6 feet 9 inches, they are the nation’s tallest team. They have one of the smaller backcourts with Mike Smith and Eli Brooks at the guard spots for Michigan. However, the height of big man Hunter Dickinson and Wagner’s length makes them tough to stop down low.
In this matchup, Dickinson and Wagner worked well together; Dickinson matched Johns Jr. with 14 points while Wagner secured a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Wagner also had 5 assists, with many going to Dickinson out of high-low post looks. Wagner gave credit to the coaching staff for putting the team in a position to take advantage of Florida State’s defense.
“I mean, I like to give the coaching staff some credit. I think we made some good plays that really put us in good positions out there. I mean, like I said, we basically knew how they were going to play us all game with fronting the post and switching everything. So we kind of knew what to expect and did that in practice,” said Wagner.
As a team, Michigan scored 50 points in the paint. Meanwhile, their defense slowed down a hot Florida State team. At halftime, Florida State had their lowest half-point total at the season with 21.
Livers will miss the rest of the NCAA Tournament
Just before tip-off, Michigan gave an update on injured forward Isaiah Livers. Following the foot injury he suffered in the Big Ten Tournament, he was ruled out indefinitely. Now, they announced he will not return for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament.
The loss was huge for the Wolverines; he was their second-leading scorer on the year and their most effective three-point shooter. In the tournament, they have been seemingly unaffected.
Up Next
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 11 UCLA, Tuesday, March 30, Lucas Oil St
