Michigan eliminated from NIT with 66-65 loss to Vanderbilt
Mar 18, 2023 - 6:08 PMIn what was a fitting end to a season full of late game collapses, the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team couldn’t hold onto a double digit lead late in the second half, coughing up a 66-65 victory to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second round of the 2023 National Invitation Tournament.
Here’s how it all went down.
First half
After scoring the first five points of the game, the Wolverines went ice cold — allowing the Commodores to score 17 unanswered points and sprint out to a 12-point cushion. The scoring run didn’t spook Michigan, however, as in just under two minutes the Wolverines brought the game back to a single possession after scoring nine unanswered points.
After the two massive scoring runs for both sides, the pace of the game largely settled into a back and forth affair, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead headed into the final minute of play. Ultimately, Hunter Dickinson provided the two-ball that gave his squad the lead headed into the locker room — ending the half’s scoring at 30-29.
Statistically, Dug McDaniel led the team’s scoring efforts at the half with 13 points, while Dickinson grabbed the most rebounds at the half with six.
Second half
The back and forth pace continued into the opening minutes of the second half, as both teams again failed to take more than a one-score lead through the first media timeout. Coming out of the break, however, Michigan finally found a groove — going on a 16-5 run to push the lead to double digits with 11 minutes to go.
Though the Wolverines kept their lead at a steady margin for most of the late goings, the final five minutes saw a resurgence from Vanderbilt that brought the Commodores back within four points. Ultimately, a sheer comedy of errors by Michigan in the final minute ended in a turnover and goaltending call with 12 seconds to go, giving Vanderbilt a one-point lead. The Wolverines had the final shot, but McDaniel was unable to put a last chance layup, giving Vanderbilt the victory.
Statistically, Dickinson finished as both scoring and rebounds leader with 21 and 11, respectively.
What’s next?
That’s all folks! The Wolverines will return in the fall for the 2023-24 season. Thank you for following along this year here at Maize n Brew. See you in November!
Be the first!
Related News
- Michigan Fires Head Basketball Coach Juwan Howard Mar 15
- This week in Big Ten basketball: Michigan wraps up the non-conference slate Dec 25
- Column: Michigan’s late-game offense is boring and broken, and they’re running out of time to fix it Dec 22
- Three 2024 signees who will outperform their recruiting ranking Dec 21
- Takeaways from Michigan’s double overtime loss to Florida Dec 19
- Michigan loses another close game, falling just short in double-OT to Florida, 106-101 Dec 19
- This week in Big Ten basketball: Michigan gets another tough test on Tuesday Dec 18
- Juwan Howard doesn’t say much on incident with Jon Sanderson following first game back as head coach Dec 17
- Takeaways from Michigan’s win over Eastern Michigan Dec 16
- Eastern Michigan at Michigan Preview: Hope springs anew Dec 16
- Head coach Juwan Howard set to return Saturday Dec 15
- Report: Jon Sanderson filed an HR claim following dispute with Juwan Howard Dec 13