Michigan Basketball back in Elite 8 after dominating Texas A&M

Michigan basketball knocked down 13 3-pointers and beat Texas A&M 99-72 on its way to the Wolverines third Elite 8 in the past six years.

There were a lot of questions about the Michigan basketball offense going into the Sweet 16. But after 13 3-pointers and 99 points, as well as a 27-point victory over Texas A&M — there aren’t anymore.

After averaging 55 points in the first two NCAA Tournament games, the Wolverines caught fire and Michigan basketball shot 61.9 percent from the field in the 99-72 win. The victory put Michigan into the Elite 8 for the third time in six years. Gonzaga or Florida State will await Saturday in Los Angeles.

Coming into the game, Texas A&M was arguably the hotter team. Sure, Michigan had won 11 straight, but the Aggies were just days away from a blowout win over North Carolina, one of the seven teams to beat Michigan this season.

Yet, when the two teams took the floor, it didn’t take long to realize this was going to be the Wolverines night. After an early hoop from Moe Wagner, who hit his first three shots inside, Jordan Poole hit from deep. That made it 5-0 Michigan and from there, the Wolverines really never looked back.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who made just 1-of-12 3-point shots against Houston and Montana, made an early trey to make it 12-4. Then, Ibi Watson, yes Ibi Watson hit a three. He was followed by Duncan Robinson, Zavier Simpson and Wagner. At that point, UM led 30-12.

Unfortunately for A&M, Michigan basketball was far from done. Charles Matthews joined the 3-point party, then Wagner, Robinson and Rahkman all hit again from downtown, giving the Wolverines a 52-28 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Aggies never really threatened. Only once did they cut the lead to under 20 and that was with less than five minutes left. And right after, Rahkman buried a triple, pushing it back to 22. Matthews also scored nine straight points at one time. Rahkman also excelled in his second half en route to a game-high 24 points. Matthews finished with 18.

Not be forgotten, Wagner had 21 points, grabbed three rebounds and added two steals. He was 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Zavier Simpson was also outstanding, notching 11 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds. Robinson also reached double figures with 10.

And the Wolverines did all of this against an Aggies team that ranked third in field-goal percentage defense before the game. Texas A&M finished shooting 47 percent, but in the first half, Michigan limited its opponent to just 28 points. The Wolverines forced 12 turnovers while giving the ball away just seven times.

Next: Top 15 Michigan quarterbacks of all time

Michigan will play either Florida State or Gonzaga Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. The Wolverines are now 31-7. It was the 16th NCAA tourney win for John Beilein at Michigan. His record is 16-7. He is now 3-1 in the Sweet 16.