What looked to be a close game at the half turned into a rout at the snap of a finger as Michigan absolutely ran Tennessee out of the gym in the second half en route to a 75-45 win. The Wolverines took a four-point lead into the half before dialing up the defense and shutting down the Volunteers in the second.
How bad was it? Tennessee was outscored 42-16 in the second half in one of the more anemic stretches of offense you’ll see. Tennessee turned it over 18 times and shot 34.9 percent from the field while failing to slow down Texas on the other end of the floor.
Also of note: Michigan did not make a free throw in the 30-point win. The Wolverines were 0-1 from the line and became the first team in the history of the NCAA Tournament to win a game without making a free throw.
Five Michigan players were in double-figures, led by Zack Novak’s 14 points. Tobias Harris was the only Vol to get it going on the offensive end, scoring 19 points for the game.
Michigan moves on to face the winner of Duke-Hampton in the second round. Tennessee heads home amid reports Bruce Pearl may be fired in the next few days. The West region bracket can be found below and a full, printable NCAA Tournament bracket can be found at SB Nation.
WEST REGION
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 16 Hampton Pirates
No. 8 Michigan Wolverines def. No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers,
No. 4 Texas Longhorns def. No. 13 Oakland, 85-81
No. 5 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 12 Memphis Tigers
No. 3 Connecticut Huskies def. No. 14 Bucknell, 81-52
No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats def. No. 11 Missouri Tigers, 78-63
No. 7 Temple Owls def. No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions, 66-64
No. 2 San Diego State def. No. 15 Northern Colorado, 68-50
For the full television lineup, check out our March Madness schedule. Be sure to check back in with our NCAA Tournament results StoryStream for updates throughout the day.