Playing Alabama is a dangerous proposition. An up-tempo team that’s never met a three-point shot it didn’t like, when the Tide gets rolling, things can get out of hand pretty quickly. Michigan may have come into Friday’s Sweet Sixteen match-up as the Midwest region’s top seed and favorite, but the Wolverines knew they were in for a fight.
Alabama wasted little time showing why.
On the strength of three early three-pointers, the Crimson Tide jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead. Michigan responded with a 9-0 run of its own to knot the score at 11. From there, the teams settled into a frenetic, back-and-forth half of basketball – one that resulted in a combined 96 points.
Michigan played well, connecting on 50% of its first half field goal attempts, but fell into the trap of trying to run with Alabama. Trying to match the Tide three-pointer for three-pointer rather than playing to its strengths. The Wolverines held their own against the high-flying Tide, but they weren’t playing their game.
“We tried to pretty much get into an offensive match with those guys (in the first half),” Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg said after the game. “We’re not that kind of team. They’re a much better offensive team than we are. But once we started slowing the game down, being a lot more physical, and trying to dominate the paint, we started finding more success.”
“We were down on ourselves,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said of the first half, “but we regrouped, and our guys had a different level of focus and intensity in the second half.”
That they did. And it was most evident on the defensive side of the ball.
Michigan came out of the locker room flying around defensively, aggressively contesting every Alabama three-point attempt – even blocking a handful of threes, something you don’t often see. After shooting 40% from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc in the first half, the Wolverines held the Tide just 33% and 21% respectively in the second half.
When asked about Michigan’s more aggressive three-point defense, May said, “There were two or three plays that jump out in my mind. When they happened, I thought, that’s going to have a lasting impact on this game. It was Eliot’s two blocked threes on (Latrel) Wrightsell and Roddy’s block.”
“When that happens,” May continued, “as shooters, you typically start looking around instead of focusing on what you need to be looking at. I do think that had an effect on their shooting, especially the last eight or ten minutes.”
And while Michigan’s defense tightened, its offense found another gear.
Playing at more controlled pace, the Wolverines began to impose their will on Alabama. Michigan was led by Yaxel Lendeborg, who finished the game with 22 points (on eight-of-12 shooting), 12 rebounds and seven assists, but got production from up and down its line-up. Eliot Cadeau added 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds and reserves Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle chipped in with 16 and 17 points, respectively.
McKenney and Gayle, in fact, combined to outscore the entire Alabama bench, 33-6. “I feel like our responsibility is to come in the game and give those starting guys some energy, some juice,” Gayle said. “That’s just kind of what I try to bring to the game every game.”
The juice – and scoring punch – that McKenney and Gayle provide will be critical as Michigan continues to adjust to the loss of reserve guard LJ Cason.
But as well as Michigan played and as dominant as it looked at times, the Wolverines never ran away from Alabama – and that was mostly due to Alabama’s All-SEC point guard Labaron Philon. Every time the Wolverines looked to be on the brink of pulling away from the Tide, Philon would hit a shot – or shots – to bring Alabama back. Philon not only scored a game-high 35 points, but led his team in rebounds (seven) and assists (four), as well.
“I think he’s the best guard in the country,” teammate Houston Mallette said of Philon after the game, and he certainly looked like it Friday.
Michigan’s May was equally complimentary.
“Philon does so much for them,” May said. “I haven’t watched the film yet, but he made some extremely difficult shots. Tonight, he got 35 … and I thought we did a pretty good job overall on him.”
Despite Philon’s effort, Michigan was not to be denied.
“There’s a reason they’re a number one seed,” Oats said. “They’re big, strong, athletic, physical. They just seemed like they imposed their will on us. We ran into a buzz saw the second half.”
Because of its strong second half play, a half in which Michigan outscored Alabama 43-28 and outrebounded the Tide 25-12, the Wolverines advance to Sunday’s Elite Eight match-up against Tennessee.
The Big Ten has already knocked four SEC teams out of the NCAA tournament. If Michigan can make it five, the Wolverines will advance to the Final Four for the first time in nearly a decade.