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Michigan overcomes early deficit vs. Maryland, closes half on 16-2 run
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Never count Michigan out.
That was the lesson Maryland learned the hard way in the first half. After the Terrapins built a 12-point lead early in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Wolverines finally started clicking on both ends of the floor. Juwan Howard’s bunch finished the half on a 16-2 run and took a 40-38 advantage into the locker room.
Michigan got a lot of production off the bench during the run, led by Chaundee Brown who scored 8 points in the first 20 minutes. Brandon Johns Jr. had 7 and Austin Davis scored 6, giving the Wolverines 21 points from the reserves.
Franz Wagner was the leading scorer among starters, dropping in 8 points. Mike Smith had an incredible first half, as well, dishing 9 assists, scoring 6 points and grabbing 1 rebound without a single turnover.
The No. 1 seed has responded. @umichbball, just down eight points, has made it a two-point game. pic.twitter.com/vka0J94cAR
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 12, 2021
3⃣li! pic.twitter.com/o2Fzr4v6gh
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) March 12, 2021
1⃣6⃣-2⃣ run to close the half.
No. 1 seed @umichbball finished the first half on fire.
(Oh, and Mike Smith has 9 assists and 0 turnovers. 🤯) pic.twitter.com/IB2QyIZ7lG
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 12, 2021
Maryland’s Eric Ayala had a big first half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. But the Terrapins will need more production from other players in the second half if it hopes to pull off the upset.
The winner of this game will play the winner of Ohio State-Purdue in the semifinal round on Saturday.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB