Michigan Beats Howard 101-80 As Wolverines Depth Overwhelms Howard Bison

Michigan won its matchup with Howard 101-80. The Wolverines big man, Aday Mara, was simply too much for the overwhelmed Howard Bison. It is always the case that one congratulates a 16 seed for making the tournament, and that is the case here. Howard even won a play-in game.

The 16 seed has upset the 1 seed twice in the NCAA Tournament, but that was not the case here. The Wolverines were too big and too much for Howard to handle in this game. When do you think the next upset of a 1 seed by a 16 seed will be?

Michigan and Howard Scoring Summary

Michigan only led 50-46 at halftime. Howard punched above its weight class to hang with the Wolverines. The Wolverines never trailed in the first half, but Howard stayed close. They were led by 13 points from Cam Gillus and 11 points from Cedric Taylor III. Gillus, in particular, was 4-of-r from three-point range. The Bison as a team were 11-of-17 from point range. That is the great equalizer, and underdog teams need to make a high percentage of three pointers to compete with top seeds.

In the second half, the Wolverines began to pull away. By 13:25 left in the game, there were three Howard players with three fouls. It was not long after that when the Wolverines extended their lead to 18 points. As of 11:23 left in the game, Michigan had missed only two shots. Michigan pulled away from there. It was clear in the second half that Michigan was much better than Howard.

Player Of the Game

The player of this game was Morez Johnson Jr. He led the Wolverines in scoring with 21 points. However, there were several Michigan players who contributed offensively. Mara finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Turning Point

The turning point of the game was when Elliot Cadeau made a three-point shot with 15 minutes exactly remaining in the second half. After that point, Michigan pulled away. The Wolverines only led by 10 points at that moment, but the lead expanded from that point. Howard used a bevvy of three-point shots up to that point to stay in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Michigan won this game 101-80. It was clear that the Wolverines were much better than Howard, and they pulled away in the second half. The player of this game was Johnson Jr. He had 21 points and 10 rebounds. However, several Wolverines players had big contributions in this game.

Parting Shots

Michigan was just too good for Howard. They wore down the Bison in the second half; they were just too big. You have to give Howard credit. They won a play-in game in this tournament and fought well in the first half of this game, before the Wolverines’ size wore them down.