Texas torches Michigan, sets up Final Four showdown with UCLA
The Longhorns handed the Bruins their only loss of the season in November.
Texas’ offense settled back to Earth Monday night after a scorching start. But its defense never let up, and the top-seeded Longhorns cruised to a 77-41 victory over No. 2 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight.
The Longhorns advance to their second straight Final Four, where they’ll take on UCLA in a national semifinal on Friday. Texas handed UCLA its only loss of the season on Nov. 26.
Texas sets tone from opening tip Playing in front of a friendly crowd in the Fort Worth 3 regional final, the Longhorns hit their first nine shots from the field and opened an 18-4 lead. The deficit for Michigan was its largest of the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns’ offense couldn’t keep up that pace.
Texas missed its first 9 3s and scored 12 second-quarter points after posting 22 in the first. But it’s defense didn’t let up, and it posted a 34-21 halftime lead while holding Michigan to a season-low 21% shooting rate for the first half. The Wolverines had to work for virtually every shot in a halfcourt set and rarely found a decent look against the bigger Longhorns.