The stats for the five-minute extra period were telling. Wake Forest shot 2-of-13 and missed their two 3-point shots and two from the free throw line. Michigan basketball shot 2-of-5 and missed its only 3-point attempt. Junior Elliot Cadeau made one of his two free throw attempts, which was the margin of victory. So, let’s zero in on three crucial overtime plays in Michigan's win.
Time: 5:00. Score: 80-80. Back-to-back dunks
OT starts with back-to-back dunks: Michigan junior Aday Mara threw down an alley-oop from Cadeau, and Wake Forest junior Myles Colvin put back from a 3-point miss. Given that the game’s total score in regulation was 160 points, you’d think that it was going to be more of the same. But you’d be wrong. It became a grind-it-out affair.
The final score was 85-84 so the next 4:15 was a display of well-coached players forcing the play but coming up empty: Wake Forest junior Cooper Schweiger hooking a no-hoper over Mara at 3:52, Colvin shooting a deep three at 3:24, Michigan sophomore Morez Johnson, Jr., putting the ball down where he could be tied up at 3:00, Wake Forest senior Mekhi Mason with a contested pull up at 2:46, and a missed Mara alley-oop at 2:29. I could go on but let’s fast forward to two plays.
Time: 0:57. Score: 84-84. Wake Forest possession
Wake Forest senior Nate Calmese has Cadeau on him and at first turns down a high pick and roll then takes it. Schweiger sets an excellent screen that Cadeau has to fight over. Calmese has a step on Cadeau, but Mara’s playing drop coverage and stops Calmese’s progress. Cadeau recovers and, with everyone well defended, Calmese, who has dribbled away 12 seconds of the 30 second shot clock, gives up, exchanges passes with Colvin, then gives it to Wake Forest sophomore Juke Harris on the right wing.
Harris has a clear out with Johnson and blows by him, but Mara meets him in the lane. With 13 seconds left on the shot clock, Harris leaves his feet and flails a circus shot that Johnson eventually rebounds. An empty possession that featured Mara’s presence. The always quotable analyst Bill Rafferty said of Mara, “Him being in the area scares people.” He finished the game with five blocks and countless more intimidations.
Time: 0:06.6. Score: 85 to 84 Michigan Leading. Wake Forest possession
Rafferty said prior to the play, “I would not let Calmese get the ball, number one. I would deny him because he is the guy that’s going to originate what they’re trying to run or attempting to run. The big is to keep him out of the lane. We know he can make the floater. He does keep the dribble alive and sometimes you overlook or overhelp and he can dispense.” So, Rafferty has perfectly predicted what was going to happen.
Calmese inbounds the ball to Colvin on the left wing with Cadeau on him. Yaxel Lendeborg and his wingspan are denying the return pass to Calmese, and Colvin burns seconds holding on to the ball and finally gets it to Calmese. He attacks the rim with 2.5 seconds left and shoots a wild shot with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Mara’s there to meet him, of course, and the shot is high off the glass and hits the rim. The put-back swat by Juke Harris would’ve counted. Rim protection wins the game.