CHICAGO (AP) — When it comes to blocking shots, Aday Mara is the 7-foot-3 center of attention for Michigan.
This time, he had some company.
The Wolverines ramped up their defensive intensity in the second half of Friday night's 90-77 win
over Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They limited the Crimson Tide to 28 points and 32% shooting after they struggled to contain Labaron Philon Jr. and company early on.Nimari Burnett helped set the
tone when he blocked a 3-point attempt by Latrell Wrightsell Jr. with 18:02 left. Roddy Gayle Jr. blocked another 3-point try by Wrightsell with 17:10 remaining, and he rejected a long-range shot by Houston Mallette with 13:44 to go.
“When that happens, as shooters, you typically, when you get one or two blocks you start looking around instead of focusing on what you need to be looking at,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “I do think that had an effect on their shooting, especially the last eight or 10 minutes.”
Of course, Mara had two of the Wolverines' eight blocks for the game. He is up to 98 blocks on the year, breaking Roy Tarpley's school record of 97 from the 1985-86 season.
The last time Michigan played in Chicago, it surrendered 42 points in the second half of an 80-72 loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament championship on March 15.
“Our personality is really on the defensive side, so we really got to that,” Gayle said. “Also, playing the first half we kind of understood what kind of game it was going to be, so I’m really proud of how our guys adapted to the circumstances.”
Michigan trailed Alabama 49-47 at the break after Philon scored 19 of his 35 points in the first half. The Crimson Tide went 9 for 24 from 3-point range in the early going.
“I would say we tried to pretty much get into an offensive match with those guys,” said Yaxel Lendeborg, who led the Wolverines with 23 points. “You know, we’re not that kind of team. They’re a way better offensive team than we are. Once we started slowing the game down, being a lot more physical, and trying to dominate the paint, we started finding more success.
“Our defense started coming alive, and that really helped us out. It helped our confidence.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
