Michigan Basketball wins ugly against FSU, but is headed to Final Four

Michigan basketball beat Florida State 58-54 Saturday night in the Elite 8 and even though it wasn’t pretty, it got the Wolverines to the Final Four.

The win in the Elite 8 wasn’t pretty. In fact, it might have been the ugliest win Michigan basketball got all season, but the NCAA Tournament isn’t about style points — it’s about winning.

And even though it took every ounce of effort and energy, plus a lot of mental toughness, Michigan basketball got the win, beating Florida State 58-54, clinching a berth in the Final Four. It’s the second trip in six years for the Wolverines to the national semifinals.

Incredibly, the Wolverines, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, shot 4-of-22 from beyond the arc in the Elite 8. However, this Michigan team is unlike any other John Beilein has had. It can win with defense and after holding the Seminoles to just 54 points and 32 percent shooting, UM did just that.

On top of the defense, the other key factor for Michigan was Charles Matthews. In fact, he has been clutch all tournament. He came into the game averaging a team-high 16.7 points and he added 17 more against FSU. The former transfer also grabbed eight rebounds and two blocks.

His two 3-point plays in the first half were huge, so was his 3-pointer in the second half which sparked an 11-0 run. That spurt put UM up 38-28 about midway through the second half. However, the Noles weren’t going away.

Florida State got it back down to three points and got Moe Wagner into foul trouble. Yet, Wagner managed to get a 3-point play of his own after an offensive rebound, before he got his fourth foul.

That added to the lead and when Duncan Robinson buried a corner three, his first triple of the night, the Wolverines were up 10 again. But some strange calls and missed free throws, allowed Florida State to get back into it.

Matthews had a hoop that was clearly goaltended but wasn’t called. On the other end, the Noles got a 3-point play and a fourth foul called on Wagner. Then, a couple of FSU treys trimmed the lead to three points.

Michigan missed 1-of-5 free throws at one time in the final two minutes, but with around 30 seconds, Robinson made two clutch free throws to put UM back up five. Then, after an FSU hoop, another free throw pushed it to four points.

On the other end, up four, Michigan got the stop it needed and after Robinson grabbed the rebound, Florida State chose not to foul, even though there were 10 seconds left. The senior dribbled out the clock and the Wolverines celebrated another trip to the Final Four, the eighth in school history. It’s the second trip since 2013.

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Michigan will now play Loyola of Chicago in the Final Four. That game will be Next Saturday. The winner will play for the national championship.