On Saturday at STAPLES Center, no. 3 Michigan knocked off no. 9 Florida State, 58-54, in the Elite 8 and moved onto the Final Four in a thrilling game that came down to the wire after the Seminoles valiantly fought back to nearly complete a harrowing comeback that fell short in the final minute.
Michigan guard Charles Matthews finished with a game-high 17 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional Final. The junior also grabbed eight rebounds to help the Wolverines win the West Region and advance to San Antonio for the Final Four on Mar. 31.
Michigan started Saturday's contest by taking an early 10-4 lead that had the bright yellow and dark blue clad fans in attendance giddy early in the evening. Florida State, however, fought back and led by two points at the midway point in the first half paving the way for a competitive first half.
Neither team led by more than four points for the remainder of the half, and Florida State entered the halftime intermission trailing by a point after a back and forth final 10 minutes prior to the intermission.
The second half, though, proved to be a different story, as the Wolverines came out with a purpose and built on their slender advantage almost immediately. Five and a half minutes into the second half, Michigan led by double digits after going on an 11-2 run to start the second half.
The game appeared to be getting away from the Seminoles, but Florida State cut the difference to only four points with 10 minutes remaining in the contest. Five minutes later, Florida State was still hanging around and trailed by five points.
Seminoles forward Phil Cofer scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on the night to keep his team in the hunt.
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With two minutes remaining, though, the game seemed out of reach with Michigan holding onto an eight point advantage, which is a mountain to climb in college basketball or basketball at any level.
An ill-advised foul on a three-point shot, with Florida State's PJ Savoy hitting all three free throws, followed by Michigan's Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman missing one of two from the charity stripe made the game interesting. When Savoy followed up Abdur-Rahkman's free throw miss with a three-pointer, the Seminoles were suddenly only trailing by three points with 1:17 remaining in the game.
Moments later, Savoy's three-point attempt to tie the game did not find the bottom of the net, and the junior followed up by fouling Zavier Simpson with 40 seconds remaining.
It was an odd time to foul, as Simpson hitting one of two foul shots made it a two-possession game. Alternatively, a defensive stop would have allowed Florida State to tie the game with a three-pointer.
Ultimately, Michigan managed to execute down the stretch, survived and advanced to its ninth Final Four, including two vacated appearances. Now, the Wolverines are only one win away from the National Championship game and two wins from winning the school's second NCAA Division I National Title.
Michigan last won the National Championship in 1989.
