Michigan Holds Off Syracuse 61-56 In Thriller
Published at(ATLANTA) — The Wolverines are one game away from immortality.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 points, Mitch McGary added 10 and Michigan held off Syracuse 61-56 Saturday night to advance to the national championship game.
Michigan (31-7) will be going for its first national title since 1989 when it faces Louisville on Monday night.
“We’ve been a team all year,” said coach John Beilein, whose Wolverines were playing in the Final Four for the first time since 1993, when the Fab Five lost for the second straight time in the national title game. “It was great.”
C.J. Fair paced Syracuse (30-10) with 22 points. The Orange stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit to get within three with seconds remaining.
On the final play of the game, Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney drove the lane and had the ball swatted away. Michigan’s Jordan Morgan raced down the court and slammed home a dunk to seal the victory.
Trey Burke was held to just seven points on 1-of-8 shooting.
“We know Trey is our leader, and sometimes he’s not going to have a game like he’s had all season,” said Hardaway. “That’s when our team stepped up.”
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