Michigan learns valuable lesson from Duke's near-upset against Siena
Michigan might be able to thank Duke for turning a nailbiter into a humdrum, nothing-to-see-here blowout of an NCAA Tourmament game against Howard.
BUFFALO, NY — No. 16 Howard was making No. 1 Michigan sweat.
Dusty May thought of the author Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote in his 2013 book "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants" that David was not, in fact, an underdog. After all, David had a slingshot. “David versus Goliath, according to Malcolm, wasn't necessarily an upset because there's a slingshot involved,” May said.
“In the first half Howard had their slingshots out. They were shooting the cover off of it off the bounce, off the catch. I was actually thinking, ‘This is how they usually happen.
’” Up by just 50-46 at halftime and then 50-48 after the first possession of the second half, the Wolverines found themselves in the deeply uncomfortable position of battling not only the hot-shooting Bison, who had made 10 of 16 from 3-point range at the break, but an ignominious place in Men's NCAA Tournament history. Only two No. 1 seeds had lost to a No.