Michigan Pulls Off AMAIZEing Upset, Beats UCLA

NEW YORK - If the Michigan football players need any inspiration before heading to Ohio State as a huge underdog, they can look to their classmates.

The unranked Wolverines, coming off a 10-22 season, shocked No. 4 UCLA 55-52 at Madison Square Garden last night to advance to the finals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. It was the program's first win over a top-five team in 11 years and arguably the biggest since its victory over No. 11 Michigan State on Jan. 25, 2006.

Michigan shook off a slow start, capitalized on 17 Bruin turnovers, and benefited from DeShawn Sims' game-high 18 points. The junior forward was also the recipient of a well-executed back-door pass in one the game's crucial moments.

With Michigan clinging to a two-point lead with less than a minute left and the shot clock winding down, Anthony Wright found Sims cutting towards the basket and delivered a beautiful bounce pass. Sims emphatically slammed it home and thirty seconds later, after Michigan's Manny Harris deflected Darren Collison's last-second heave, the Wolverines' stunning upset was official.

Down 9-1 before the first TV timeout, Michigan struggled to find its rhythm offensively. UCLA's talented trio of guards -- Collison, Josh Shipp, and Jrue Holiday -- used their quickness to slash through the Michigan defense. Holiday, a highly-touted freshman, was especially impressive, scoring eight of his 13 points in the first half.

But the Wolverines weathered the storm and only trailed by six, 29-23, at halftime thanks to Sims' eight points. It was a defensive-minded affair throughout, which isn't uncharacteristic of these two teams, though recently for Michigan that's often been due to a lack of offensive production.

But on this particular night, 55 points was just enough. Harris, Michigan's preseason Big Ten first teamer, struggled with his outside shot at times but still contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Stu Douglass, a sharp-shooting freshman, showed incredible poise in his first road game -- at Madison Square Garden no less -- connecting on 5-6 from the field for 10 points.

Douglass' scoring contribution can not be overstated. Too often last season and even to a certain extent in Michigan's prior two games this year, Harris and Sims had to carry too much of the load offensively. But last night Douglass was able to stretch the defense and knock down some important shots.

The unusual number of offensive fouls, in addition to the teams combining for 10-36 from behind the arc, kept the score relatively low. Collison, UCLA's Preseason All-American point guard, managed to score 13, but his backcourt teammate, Shipp, struggled from the field and turned the ball over six times.

Michigan's unlikely victory sets up a championship showdown with No. 5 Duke, which was an 83-58 winner over Southern Illinois in the other semifinal.

Can the Wolverines take down two top-five teams on consecutive nights? We'll find out tonight.

Note: I'll be at tonight's games as well, so be sure to check back tomorrow for more stories.