The Michigan Wolverines survived a big scare from Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. Battling their way back, Michigan escaped in overtime with a 73-69 win.
Minnesota came out of the gate showing upset. The tenth seed jumped out to an 11-3 lead over the second seed with 11 minutes to play in the first half. Michigan worked their way back into the game, trailing by just three at the half.
Then things got really exciting.
Zack Novak and Evan Smotrycz came up big for Michigan at the end of regulation. Novak hit a three-pointer to close the gap to 56-53 with 1:14 left. He then grabbed the rebound on an Elliott Eliason jumped to get the ball back in Michigan's hands. Jordan Morgan got an offensive rebound on Novak's shot to keep possession. Smotrycz got the ball from Stu Douglas and hit a three-pointer to tie the game with 19 seconds left on the clock.
Michigan started overtime with an 8-1 edge, but the Gophers took a page from their opponents playbook, using a pair of three-pointers to put themselves back in striking distance. Ultimately, it was not enough.
Trey Burke led Michigan with 30 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. had another 20.
Michigan's 9-16 advantage in turnovers ultimately helped them play their way back into the game, salvaging their chances at winning the Big Ten tournament.
Next, Michigan plays the winner of the Ohio State-Purdue game in the semifinals. That game is scheduled for approximately 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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