No. 11 Seed Michigan Upsets 6th Seed Colorado State to Advance in 2022 March Madness

No. 11 Michigan overcame a slow start to earn a 75-63 victory over No. 6 Colorado State in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Thursday. 

The Wolverines received an at-large bid despite a pedestrian 18-14 record during the regular season. They never won more than three straight games and were 4-4 in their final eight games, including a 74-69 loss to Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. 

Colorado State won 25 games during the regular season to earn the program's first tournament berth since 2012-13.

---

Notable Game Stats

• Hunter Dickinson (MICH): 21 points (8-of-10 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 blocks
• Caleb Houstan (MICH): 13 points (5-of-11 FG), 5 rebounds
• Eli Brooks (MICH): 16 points (5-of-13 FG), 7 rebounds, 6 assists
• Dischon Thomas (CSU): 15 points (5-of-9 FG), 2 steals
• David Roddy (CSU): 13 points (5-of-11 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 assists

The Rams came out of the gate on fire, building up a 28-13 lead with five minutes and 10 seconds remaining in the first half. 

Eli Brooks' jumper with 12:29 left in the second half gave Michigan its first lead of the game at 45-44. 

The shooting woes that plagued Michigan against the Hoosiers last week looked like they were going to be a problem Thursday.

The Wolverines went 0-of-7 from three-point range and scored just 29 points in the first half. They scored their 30th point in the second half with 6:16 remaining and made four of their first six attempts from behind the arc. 

Hunter Dickinson's size in the paint was a huge problem for Colorado State's defense. The sophomore center scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. 

That was going to be the biggest mismatch for the Wolverines to exploit. Dickinson is listed at 7'1" and 260 pounds; Colorado State doesn't have anyone in its starting lineup taller than 6'8" (Dischon Thomas) and 255 pounds (David Roddy). 

Dickinson is playing his best basketball of the season at the right time. He came into the tournament averaging 23.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in his past three contests. 

Caleb Houstan provided Dickinson with some necessary support, especially in the second half. He made all three of his three-pointers and scored nine of his 13 points after the intermission. 

While Michigan's second-half surge on offense was the biggest story of the game, the defensive effort down the stretch was crucial to the win. 

In particular, the Wolverines kept Thomas from getting easy looks. He led Colorado State with 15 points, but his last field goal was a three-pointer with 15:27 remaining that put the team up 44-38. 

Thomas didn't attempt a field goal in the final 13 minutes of regulation. He was 4-of-6 from behind the arc in the first half. The Rams shot just 35.4 percent from the field. 

Despite the disappointing finish, Colorado State's season is an unqualified success. Head coach Niko Medved has turned the program around since being hired in 2018. 

The Rams have increased their winning percentage in each of the past four seasons. They have gone from a 12-20 record in Medved's first season to winning the third-most games in a single season in program history in 2021-22. 

Michigan didn't have a great season, but it is battle-tested after playing the fourth-hardest schedule in Division I. Those games during the regular season have prepared the squad for this moment. 

---

What's Next?

Michigan will play the winner of Tennessee-Longwood on Saturday.