Notre Dame vs. Michigan: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2016

On a day filled with upsets, the sixth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish avoided falling victim to the 11th-seeded Michigan Wolverines with a come-from-behind 70-63 win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Although Notre Dame trailed by 12 points at halftime as Michigan bombed away from beyond the arc in the first half, the Irish rode a resurgent offense into the second round of East Region play as they outscored the Wolverines, 41-22, over the game's final 20 minutes.  

Notre Dame will now square off against the 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks for the right to compete in the Sweet 16, as CBS Sports' Matt Norlander noted:  

The Irish shot a stunning 58.1 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three as V.J. Beachem led the way with 18 points. Guard Demetrius Jackson also helped provide a spark with 11 points, including a bouncy effort in the first half: 

Zach Auguste held down the fort on both ends of the floor with 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. 

The Wolverines were led by 15 points from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman while Derrick Walton Jr. tacked on 10 points—all of which came during a first half that had the First Four qualifiers looking like a solid bet to advance to the second round.  

Michigan opened up a 26-13 lead midway through the first half behind guard play so good it negated positive strides made by Notre Dame toward the end of the first 20 minutes of play, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello: 

The tone-setter at the center of the action was Walton Jr., who put in a full game's worth of work as Michigan established a 12-point edge entering the locker room, according to the Detroit Free Press' Mark Snyder: 

Walton finished the first frame with 10 points, four rebounds and four steals, including a swipe that resulted in a smooth and-1 finish at the other end:

Commendable performances from Walton and Abdur-Rahkman could have been predicted, but the strong stylings of German freshman Moritz Wagner added an extra dimension to a Wolverines attack that was humming Friday night. 

A pure ball of energy off the bench, Wagner posted six points in his first five minutes off the floor. During that short stretch, Michigan recorded a scoring margin of plus-eight.

However, it didn't take long for the momentum to shift in Notre Dame's favor. 

After opening up the second half on an 8-0 run, the Irish had completely erased the Maize and Blue's halftime advantage by the time there were 12 minutes left in regulation.

And while Notre Dame's offense found some fire, Michigan's shooters went ice cold. Zak Irvin, in particular, appeared to be pressing as he opened the game 1-of-10 from the field and 0-of-5 from three after playing the role of hero against Tulsa in Michigan's First Four win. 

Irvin snapped out of his three-point funk to give the Wolverines a 54-51 lead with eight minutes, 21 seconds remaining, but Michigan's offense didn't have the juice necessary to match Notre Dame shot-for-shot down the stretch. 

The Irish can exhale after surviving a scare from Michigan, but the path ahead is nothing if not daunting.

Awaiting Notre Dame in the second round are the Lumberjacks, who dismantled the third-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers, 70-56, Friday evening.

With a defense that ranks 12th nationally in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom.com, the Lumberjacks can compete with elite competition so long as they're able to dictate pace and grind opponents down in the half court.  

An 11th-ranked Fighting Irish offense loaded with playmakers will push the Lumberjacks to the limit, but Notre Dame simply can't take the Southland Conference champions lightly come Sunday. 

Postgame Reaction

Once Notre Dame was done celebrating on the floor, head coach Mike Brey showed off a little vertical leap in the locker room, as the team's official Twitter account documented: 

"I’m certainly very proud of our group and the second half we played, especially defensively," Brey told reporters after the win, per SportingNews.com's Jesse Spector. 

On the flip side, Michigan was left to ponder what went wrong. 

"We could’ve controlled our fate," Walton Jr. said, according to Spector. "We just didn’t capitalize. Fatigue is the last thing we’re going to attach it to."

"(ND) played well when they had to," Michigan head coach John Beilein added, according to MLive.com's Brendan F. Quinn. "Those last 20 minutes, they were better than us. The first 20 mins, we were better than them."

Looking ahead, Brey made it clear his team can't take Stephen F. Austin's pressure defense lightly given the turnover problems his team has encountered of late, according to Spector. 

"I asked them, can we shave it down to about 10 on Sunday and maybe not throw it around so much? … West Virginia had 22 turnovers, and we’ve been throwing things and hitting concession stands the last two weeks. …This is an ACC-level game on Sunday."

Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.