No. 11 Michigan Upsets No. 3 Tennessee to Advance to Men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The Michigan Wolverines' difficult regular-season schedule continues to pay off in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament, as they are moving on to the Sweet 16 after a 76-68 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.

Michigan's 14 losses during the regular season were the most by any team coming into the tournament.

Expectations were high for the Wolverines coming into the year when they were ranked No. 6 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, but things never materialized because of injuries and poor performances.

Tennessee had been riding high coming into this matchup with 13 wins in its last 14 games dating back to Feb. 1. Its 32-point win over Longwood in the round of 64 was the program's biggest tournament victory since 2007 (121-86 over Long Beach State).

This contest was a tense back-and-forth affair that never looked like it was going in favor of either side.

Tennessee opened up a six-point lead late in the first half, but Michigan closed on a 15-4 run to go into the intermission with a five-point advantage. The Vols didn't trail in the second half until Eli Brooks' layup-and-1 with 3:21 remaining put the Wolverines up 65-62.

That moment proved to be critical, as the Wolverines closed the game on a 22-8 run to secure the win.

Tennessee made just two field goals in the final three minutes. Brooks, Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabate combined to make all six free-throw attempts they had in the final 37 seconds to prevent the Vols from being able to tie the score or take the lead.

Dickinson and Brooks were unstoppable for the Wolverines. They combined for 50 points on 17-of-27 shooting. Kennedy Chandler led the way for Tennessee with 19 points and nine assists in the loss.

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Notable Game Stats

• Hunter Dickinson (UM): 27 points (8-of-13 FG), 11 rebounds, 4 assists
• Eli Brooks (UM): 23 points (9-of-14 FG), 5 assists
• Moussa Diabate (UM): 13 points (5-of-10 FG), 6 rebounds
  
• Kennedy Chandler (UT): 19 points (9-of-19 FG), 9 assists
  
• Josiah-Jordan James (UT): 13 points (5-of-13 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists

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Dickinson, Brooks Send Michigan to Sweet 16

Through the first two rounds, Dickinson has a strong argument as the best player in the tournament. The 7'1" sophomore scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting on Thursday in a 75-63 win over Colorado State.

Dickinson followed that up with his 10th double-double of the season against Tennessee. He's about as close to a sure thing in the paint as there is in college basketball right now.

With Dickinson taking care of business in the paint, Brooks was keeping up the pressure on Tennessee's defense away from the basket. The senior had his third 20-point game of the season.

When it looked like Tennessee was going to take control, Brooks stepped up. The Vols opened up a 60-54 lead with 8:27 remaining. Brooks made back-to-back layups to get the deficit down to two.

In the final minute, after a Santiago Vescovi layup got Tennessee back within two points, Brooks made a hook shot to extend the lead to 72-68. The Vols didn't score again, sending Michigan into the Sweet 16.

This is the formula Michigan has to rely on for success. Dickinson and Brooks have been the team's best players all season. The No. 3 spot has been a revolving door. DeVante' Jones was the third-leading scorer during the regular season, but he only had two points and attempted three shots against Tennessee.

Diabate stepped up as the third option today with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He only had 11 points in the previous two games combined.

As long as Dickinson and Brooks are playing up to their potential, the Wolverines are good enough to compete with anyone in the country.

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Vols Collapse Down the Stretch in Loss

Chandler and Josiah-Jordan James put on a strong two-man performance that looked for much of the second half like it was going to be enough to lead their team to a win. They combined for nine of Tennessee's 11 points during an 11-4 run midway through the second half.

Chandler, in particular, did everything in his power to keep Tennessee going after the Wolverines came out of the gate strong. He gave the Vols their first lead of the game midway through the first half.

The freshman guard was so good at getting to the basket in this game. Five of his nine field goals were layups or dunks.

Chandler caught the attention of everyone watching, including Memphis Grizzlies' star Ja Morant.

While Chandler was doing a great job finishing at the basket, the defense was taking advantage of opportunities to keep the game close. They had seven steals and forced Michigan to commit 15 turnovers.

It was in the final three minutes in the second half when everything fell apart. After Chandler's jumper put the Vols up 65-64 with 3:07 remaining, they went 2-of-8 from the field and missed their only free-throw attempt.

Another glaring issue in the loss was three-point shooting. Tennessee made just two of its 18 attempts from behind the arc, with both of its makes coming in the first half.

It's a disappointing way for the Vols to end a season in which they won 27 games, fourth-most in program history. Head coach Rick Barnes has built an outstanding foundation for long-term success at Tennessee, but this loss will sting because of the opportunities the team was unable to take advantage of.

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What's Next?

Michigan will play the winner of Sunday's Ohio State-Villanova matchup in the Sweet 16 on March 24.