No drama, no buzzer beater, but a strong Moritz Wagner! The German leads the Michigan Wolverines to a safe victory against Texas A&M. This is the third time in the last six years that Michigan has been in the Elite Eight. This way to the bracket.
Top scorer: Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman (24) – Tyler Davis (24)
After the spectacular duel with the Houston Cougars in the second round of March Madness, the Wolverines made it much easier against Texas A&M. This time Michigan didn’t let anything burn right from the start.
Led by the strong Moritz Wagner, the Wolverines hammered the partially overstrained Aggies 10 Dreier (out of a total of 14 in 24 attempts, 58.3 percent) around the ears in halftime one alone. In the middle of the first round Michigan were already in front with 33:12, at halftime they had a 52:28 lead.
From Texas A&M’s point of view, things didn’t get any better after the break. Although Tyler Davis (24 points, 8 rebounds) and Prospect Robert Williams (12 and 6) fought back by all means, nobody could stop Michigan that evening. The number 3 seed pocketed a total of 61.9 percent of his throws from the field, with five players scoring double-digit points.
The top scorer of the evening was Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who scored 24 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, “My roll from the start gives you the confidence to take the next one,” said the 23-year-old senior, “I think everyone had that confidence tonight.
Also Moritz Wagner, who also played a big part in the blowout victory. The German put on 21 points (14 of them in halftime one alone), 3 rebounds and 2 steals. The 20-year-old accommodated 8 of his 12 throws in the basket and stayed perfectly from downtown (3/3 threesome). Charles Matthews also showed a strong performance with 18 points.
This is the third time in the last six years that Michigan has been in the Elite Eight. The opponent will then be the winner from the game Gonzaga (4) against Florida State (9), to whom Abdur-Rahkman immediately made a declaration of war: “We are on a business trip and we still have a lot to do!”.