INSIDER
NCAA President to meet with protesting basketball players
Read full article: NCAA President to meet with protesting basketball playersThe three players used the Twitter hashtag #NotNCAAProperty to raise awareness of what they believe are inequities in college sports two days before the men’s basketball tournament started in Indianapolis. The players had originally asked to meet with Emmert last week. The players urged him to meet with them sooner and Huma said the NCAA reached out this week to set up Thursday's meeting. The men's tournament is being held in Indianapolis, with the final two spots in the Final Four being determined Tuesday night. ___More AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket
Inside job: Michigan goes to the paint to top FSU 76-58
Read full article: Inside job: Michigan goes to the paint to top FSU 76-58The evening's most telling stat was points in the paint: Michigan 50, Florida State 28. Other lowlights for the Seminoles:— 14 turnovers, including 10 in the first half that led to 16 Michigan points. Adding to the trouble, Walker, the team's leading scorer this season, rolled his ankle at the 14-minute mark of the second half. FSU went on a mini-tear when Osborne and Polite made back-to-back 3s to trim Michigan's lead to five early in the second half. Driving the lane and making the extra pass underneath, the Wolverines made 11 of their first 13 shots in the second half.
Senior savvy: Experience shines through in NCAA Tournament
Read full article: Senior savvy: Experience shines through in NCAA TournamentMichigan guard Eli Brooks celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half of a second-round game against LSU in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium Monday, March 22, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Michigan's second-round game against LSU was intense from the start. One player for the Wolverines seemed calm and steady — guard Eli Brooks. In fact, Brooks' coach — Fab Five standout Juwan Howard — played a big role in setting that trend. Oregon's three senior starters — Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa and Eugene Omoruyi — combined for 61 points in a second-round win over Iowa.
The Latest: Players seek fairness meeting with NCAA's Emmert
Read full article: The Latest: Players seek fairness meeting with NCAA's Emmert(AP Photo/Robert Franklin)The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___12:15 p.m. The leader of an organization that advocates for fairness in the treatment of college athletics has requested that NCAA President Mark Emmert meet via videoconference Tuesday with basketball players who launched the #NotNCAAProperty movement. Ad“It’s really important what we did, to continue to create awareness,” Bohannon said. “You saw from the women’s standpoint, a couple days ago, the women speaking out about the weight room being different. Look at Mark Emmert, he was nowhere to be found to answer any questions.
Howard, Michigan roll past Texas Southern in NCAA tourney
Read full article: Howard, Michigan roll past Texas Southern in NCAA tourney– Juwan Howard got the win in his first NCAA Tournament game since taking over at Michigan, guiding Mike Smith and the top-seeded Wolverines to an 82-66 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday. It's his second season in charge, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled last year because of the pandemic. Howard and the Wolverines (21-4) had little trouble with the No 16 seed Texas Southern, but the absence of Livers could lead to adversity down the road. It wasn’t perfect as Texas Southern outscored Michigan 42-30 in the paint and got within 12 late, causing Dickinson to re-enter the game. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member Norfolk State ousted Appalachian State on the same court, marking the first time SWAC and MEAC schools won NCAA Tournament games on the same day.
What some advanced stats may tell us about the NCAA field
Read full article: What some advanced stats may tell us about the NCAA field(AP Photo/Young Kwak, File)Two years ago, before the start of the last NCAA Tournament, we presented a system that could help narrow down the bracket, using advanced stats from recent seasons. Virginia, one of six teams that passed all of our statistical tests, did in fact win the national championship. To review: This method uses six stats in which every champion since 2008 has ranked in the top half of Division I. All these stats are available at barttorvik.com — and we'll use that information to pare down this year's contenders. Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) is a measure of field goal percentage in which 3-pointers are given extra weight.
Picking the bracket: The Big Ten will feel right at home
Read full article: Picking the bracket: The Big Ten will feel right at homeSecond round winners: Michigan, Florida State, Texas, Alabama. On to the upsets ...First round winners: Baylor, North Carolina, Winthrop, Purdue, Texas Tech, Colgate, Virginia Tech, Ohio State. AdFirst round winners: Gonzaga, Missouri, UCSB, Virginia, USC, Kansas, VCU, Iowa. Second round winners: Gonzaga, Virginia, USC, Iowa. The Big Ten tournament gets replaced by a Final Four in the heart of Big Ten country.
No. 9 Buckeyes edge No. 4 Michigan, make Big Ten title game
Read full article: No. 9 Buckeyes edge No. 4 Michigan, make Big Ten title gameOhio State forward E.J. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. just wanted a second chance at his home-state team. 9 Buckeyes fend off the fourth-ranked Wolverines for a 68-67 victory and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game. “This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, a lot of our Ohio guys," Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. The Wolverines appeared in three straight title games before last year's was cancelled because of COVID-19.
Michigan State beats No. 2 Michigan 70-64, boosts NCAA hopes
Read full article: Michigan State beats No. 2 Michigan 70-64, boosts NCAA hopesRocket Watts scored 21 points and Aaron Henry had 18 to lead the Spartans in a 70-64 victory over No. The Wolverines (19-3, 14-3) closed the regular season getting routed at home by the Fighting Illini, beating Michigan State handily to clinch the Big Ten title and losing the rematch three days later. They were ready to play today and we weren’t.”AdJoey Hauser scored nine of his 11 points off the bench in the first half as Michigan State led 30-26. SENIOR MOMENTFifth-year senior Joshua Langford, who missed much of the previous two seasons with injury, made a 3-point shot with 49 seconds left to give Michigan State a 64-59 lead. UP NEXTThe Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, where first-seeded Michigan may meet Michigan State for a third time.
No. 3 Michigan continues to roll with 73-57 win at Indiana
Read full article: No. 3 Michigan continues to roll with 73-57 win at Indiana3 Michigan pull away for a 73-57 victory Saturday at Indiana. Aljami Durham led Indiana (12-12, 7-10) with 15 points and Race Thompson finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Michigan made Indiana uncomfortable while facing full-court pressure, stayed in front of the Hoosiers in half-court defense, and challenged shot after shot. Indiana: The Hoosiers trailed 22-21 with 8:36 to go in the first half — and then this one got away from them. ... Indiana shot 38% from the field and was outrebounded 37-27.
Dickinson impresses as No. 3 Michigan routs No. 9 Iowa 79-57
Read full article: Dickinson impresses as No. 3 Michigan routs No. 9 Iowa 79-57Dickinson gave Garza fits around the basket, and Franz Wagner scored 21 points to lead No. Michigan answered that with a 14-2 run that took place mostly while Dickinson was on the bench. The 7-foot-1 Dickinson, who like Garza went to high school in the Washington area, blocked Garza's first shot attempt of the game. “I know I’ve got to be better for my team,” Garza said. Michigan: The Wolverines have only one day off before playing at Indiana on Saturday.
Dickinson's 22 lifts No. 3 Michigan over No. 4 Ohio St 92-87
Read full article: Dickinson's 22 lifts No. 3 Michigan over No. 4 Ohio St 92-87Liddell during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. After six ties in the second half, Michigan pulled away in the final minutes and then held off Ohio State 92-87 Sunday in a meeting that showcased two teams aiming for No. Ad“I thought his length and size bothered us," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged. Ohio State and Michigan both are projected to be No. Ohio State: At Michigan State on Thursday.
No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State meet to top AP Top 25 slate
Read full article: No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State meet to top AP Top 25 slateTheir meeting Sunday headlines the national AP Top 25 schedule for the week, a matchup of teams contending for No. Meanwhile Ohio State (17-4, 11-4) has won six straight overall — including against the Badgers and No. “The biggest thing as a coach right now is we’ve got to get better,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said after Saturday’s win against Indiana. 25 last week but visits Michigan on Thursday. There’s also Belmont (22-1, 16-0 Ohio Valley) chasing the program’s first AP Top 25 poll ranking.
Back from layoff, No. 3 Michigan tops No. 21 Wisconsin 67-59
Read full article: Back from layoff, No. 3 Michigan tops No. 21 Wisconsin 67-59Michigan's Franz Wagner had 10 of his 14 points in the second half. But the Badgers shot 7 of 28 in the second half and missed their last 11 3-point attempts. “What we did in the first half is what we wanted to do in the second half,” Ford said. Michigan beat Wisconsin 77-54 on Jan. 12 and became the first team to sweep a regular-season series from the Badgers since 2017-18, when Michigan State and Nebraska both did it. AdWisconsin: The Badgers needed more from their starting five, who combined to score 10 points and shoot 2 of 16 in the second half.
No. 7 Michigan uses strong defense to rout Purdue 70-53
Read full article: No. 7 Michigan uses strong defense to rout Purdue 70-53– Michigan coach Juwan Howard put the emphasis on defense from the first time his entire team practiced this season. On a night Isaiah Livers matched his season high with 22 points and Eli Brooks added 11, the seventh-ranked Wolverines used a staunch defense to pull away from Purdue 70-53. Purdue: While the Boilermakers had been the Big Ten's hottest team, they sputtered without Stefanovic. POLL IMPLICATIONSWith wins over Maryland and at Purdue this week, the Wolverines won't go anywhere but up in the Top 25. Purdue: Williams has 12 straight double-doubles.
No. 23 Minnesota hands No. 7 Michigan 1st loss in 75-57 romp
Read full article: No. 23 Minnesota hands No. 7 Michigan 1st loss in 75-57 romp7 Michigan on Saturday, handing the Wolverines their first loss. Minnesota never trailed, holding the best shooting team in the conference to a season-low score and a season-high 20 turnovers. The Gophers were back in their happy place after five days to recuperate and refocus from decisive defeats last week at Michigan and Iowa. The Wolverines had seven turnovers in the first seven minutes and just never established a rhythm in their half court. Minnesota, the sixth Big Ten team ranked, will undoubtedly slide up several spots.
Garza scores 33, Iowa beats No. 19 Michigan 90-83
Read full article: Garza scores 33, Iowa beats No. 19 Michigan 90-83Michigan guard David DeJulius brings the ball up during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette via AP)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Michigan coach Juwan Howard has seen enough of Iowa's Luka Garza this season. Garza scored 33 points in Iowa’s 90-83 win over No. Garza, the Big Ten’s scoring leader, was 10 of 18 from the field and 11 of 13 from the line. Once we locked in on the defensive end, and put some baskets together, we were right back in it.”“We seemed to be a little tired,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said.