INDIANAPOLIS — All that stood between Michigan and a fifth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 was eight minutes.
Trailing by six late against No. 3 seed Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 11 seed Wolverines used a late run that was fueled by fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks and finished strong for a 76-68 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to keep marching on.
Michigan (19-14) will head to San Antonio to face the winner of No. 2 Villanova-No. 7 Ohio State in a regional semifinal on Thursday. Game time is to be determined.
Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Brooks scored 11 of his 23 points during a 24-8 run over the final 7:21 and freshman forward Moussa Diabate added 13 points for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines shook off a brutal finish to the first half by feeding Dickinson in the post. He responded by scoring Michigan’s first nine points out of the break with a flurry of hook shots and free throws before Diabate split a pair of free throws to pull even at 45 with 15:03 remaining.
That triggered a frantic back-and-forth stretch where the teams traded blows and Michigan took the lead three times, the last on a layup by Brooks to go up, 54-53, at the 11:29 mark. The Volunteers didn’t stop punching and got to the rim at will to create some separation.
Tennessee rattled off seven unanswered points with a string of dribble drives and layups — two coming from Kennedy Chandler — to grab a 60-54 lead with 8:27 remaining. Michigan kept fighting and eventually swung back with a spurt of its own that was fueled by Brooks.
Brooks hit a jumper and scored on a driving layup to spark an 11-2 run. After sophomore forward Terrance Williams II soared in for a pair of offensive put-backs to tie it, Brooks finished another layup through contact and converted a three-point play to put Michigan back in front, 65-62, with 3:21 to play.
That set the stage for a tense finish. The Wolverines buckled down on defense and made three free throws to extend the lead to four. A turnover on an inbounds pass led to a basket from Tennessee to cut it to 68-66 with 1:27 to go.
But that’s as close as it would get. Brooks hit a jumper and two free throws to push it to six before Diabate and Dickinson combined for four free throws in the final 23 seconds to salt it away.
Chandler scored 19 and Josiah-Jordan James 13 for Tennessee (27-8), which scored 20 points off 15 Michigan turnovers.
Grad transfer guard DeVante’ Jones was back in the starting lineup after missing the first-round game while in concussion protocol. He finished with two points, three assists and three rebounds in his first NCAA Tournament action, but he didn’t play in the second half because he was reportedly feeling ill.
Michigan got off to a quick start against Tennessee’s pressure defense with Dickinson leading the way. The Wolverines used 3-pointers from Brooks and Dickinson to jump out to a 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the game.
The hot start cooled a bit as the offense hit a rough patch and Tennessee cashed in on turnovers. The Volunteers turned three steals into buckets, the last by Chandler that led to a fast-break dunk and capped a string of six unanswered points, to take an 18-17 lead at the 9:36 mark.
After Williams snapped the spurt with corner 3-pointer, the Wolverines were able to get the ball inside with some success. Diabate had a couple finishes around the rim and Michigan pulled ahead, 30-24, with 4:50 left in the half.
The Wolverines skidded the rest of the way, turning it over five times down the stretch and failing to attempt a single shot over the final 2:29. During one sequence, Michigan overthrew an inbounds pass, gave up a second-chance 3-pointer and missed an uncontested put-back. The Volunteers rattled off a 13-2 run as Michigan’s empty possessions led to easy baskets and a 37-32 halftime deficit.
