With questions surrounding their entry into the NCAA Tournament, the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes’ opportunity to play into the field of 64 fell short with a 67-62 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. The Golden Hurricanes played the Wolverines down to the wire with the second half seeing five ties and 12 lead changes. Michigan’s live-by-the-three, die-by-the-three philosophy almost cost them as the Big Ten leader in three pointers made per game (9.3) finished 6-25 from behind the arc, allowing Tulsa to keep the game close.
Tulsa, the last team in and the first team out, will lose seven seniors including guard Shaquille Harrison who led all scorers with 23 points Wednesday. The Wolverines advance and will face rival sixth-seeded Notre Dame Friday. Lead by potential NBA Draft lottery pick junior Demetrius Jackson the Irish average 75 points per game. With Michigan struggling Wednesday night from behind the arc – a staple of their offense — and Notre Dame’s superior scoring (45.7% from the field), the Wolverines will have to get back on track to avoid a shootout with the Irish high scoring offense. At least the Wolverines don’t have to play the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
