Michigan
6-2
North Carolina
6-1
Wolverines Drop B1G/ACC Challenge Matchup at No. 13 North Carolina
11/29/2017 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» The Wolverines made their first eight shots to keep the game close until North Carolina used an 11-0 run late in the first half to take a 51-37 lead at halftime.
» North Carolina led by as many as 29 points in the second half, but Michigan fought back to cut its deficit to 13 points, 84-71, in the final 10 seconds.
» Moritz Wagner finished one rebound shy of a double-double, leading Michigan with 20 points and nine rebounds.
» Michigan's B1G/ACC matchup tonight was its first against a ranked opponent this season. The Wolverines move to 7-10 all-time in the challenge and 6-2 overall this season.
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Dean Smith Center)
Score: No. 13 North Carolina 86, Michigan 71
Records: U-M (6-2), UNC (6-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 2 -- vs. Indiana, 12:30 p.m., CBS
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Despite a hot start, during which the Wolverines made their first eight shots of the game, the University of Michigan men's basketball team was eventually overwhelmed by No. 13 North Carolina and fell to the Tar Heels, 86-71, in its Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup on Wednesday night (Nov. 29) inside the Dean Smith Center.
Senior Moritz Wagner finished the game just one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the season, recording 20 points and nine rebounds. Junior Charles Matthews joined Wagner in double-figures with 12 points, while Michigan's 39 remaining points came from 10 other players. Freshman Isaiah Livers led U-M's bench players with nine points and added five rebounds.
Michigan and North Carolina came out blazing, combining to score 35 points before the first media timeout. The teams went basket for basket, with the first consecutive field goals of the game coming on a dunk from Matthews and a triple from Wagner, which gave Michigan its first lead of the night, 17-15, with 15:17 remaining in the opening half.
Out of the first media timeout, Matthews helped Michigan avoid a shot-clock violation, as he banked an off-balance three at the buzzer to put the Wolverines up, 20-18, at the 14:28 mark. Matthews' three-pointer was U-M's eighth straight made field goal to start the game, as it started off 8-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-4 from long range.
Wagner scored 13 of Michigan's first 29 points, including a layup that tied the game at 29 with 8:07 on the clock. Fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson hit the Maize and Blue's sixth triple of the game to keep the game close, 34-32 in favor of UNC, before the Tar Heels went on an 11-0 run in less than three minutes to push their lead to double digits. Graduate student Jaaron Simmons came off the bench and converted from three-point land to end North Carolina's run and make it a 10-point game, 45-35, with 2:40 to go in the first half.
After shooting 65 percent (20-for-31) in the first half, the Tar Heels led 51-37 at the half. The Wolverines also shot better than 50 percent, hitting 15 of their 29 shot attempts (52 percent), including seven three pointers in the first half. Wagner led Michigan with 15 points at the break.
UNC scored the first six points of the second half, and following a drive and score by Matthews, scored eight more unanswered points to make it a combined 14-2 run and forced Michigan to call timeout at the 14:40 mark. It was Matthews again who halted North Carolina's run, getting all the way to the rim for the score to make it 67-41 UNC with 12:50 to play.
After UNC took its largest lead of the game of 29 points, 70-41, Michigan put together an 11-2 run. Eight of those points came off the bench to make it a 20-point game, 72-52, with 8:34 to play.
The Wolverines' underclassmen continued to help U-M claw back, scoring 10 of Michigan's next 12 points, including triples from Livers and freshman Jordan Poole, and four points from sophomore Ibi Watson.
Following the last media timeout, Michigan got all eight of its points from underclassmen, including an offensive rebound and put-back from Livers with 10 seconds on the clock to cut U-M's deficit to 13, its smallest since the final minutes of the first half.
The Wolverines will take a two-game break from non-conference play and get an early start on Big Ten action this weekend, when Michigan hosts Indiana on Saturday (Dec. 2) at 12:30 p.m. inside Crisler Center. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
