What To Watch: Michigan seeks to keep Big Ten alive in NCAAs
4 seed Florida State (18-6) vs. No. 1 seed Michigan (22-4), East Region semifinal, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis. Michigan has withstood an injury to second-leading scorer Isaiah Livers to become the last team remaining from the Big Tenโs nine NCAA Tournament selections. Florida State has allowed its first two NCAA Tournament foes to shoot just 33.6% and average 53.5 points. Michigan is averaging 84 points in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Ten comeback: Michigan topples LSU 86-78
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS โ What the Big Ten needed was someone, anyone, to start playing like it came from the Big Ten. Seven of nine teams from the conference had departed before coach Juwan Howard brought Michigan (22-4) to the court for its second-round game in the East region. But during the 14-1 stretch that opened things up, Michigan did what typical Big Ten teams are supposed to do. Most-telling stat of the night was points off the bench: Michigan 26, LSU 2. His 27 points kept LSU in range in the second half, but Wagner rejected him underneath at the end of that stretch.
LSU upsets No. 8 Arkansas 78-71 to reach SEC tourney final
6 Alabama, a 73-68 winner over Tennessee in the other semifinal, on Sunday looking to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding even more by knocking off the SEC's regular-season champ. AdArkansas (22-6) snapped a 12-game SEC winning streak that tied the program record set by the 1993-94 team that also ended in the SEC Tournament in the semifinals. LSU took advantage after Arkansas guard Davonte Davis made a pair of free throws with 11:42 left tying it up at 52. The Tigers LSU reeled off 12 straight points to take the lead for good, and Gaines capped the spurt with a layup with 7:25 left. UP NEXTArkansas learns its NCAA Tournament seed and opening opponent Sunday.