The Ohio Bobcats, the No. 13 seed, knocked off the No. 3 seed Michigan Wolverines in the Round of 64, winning 65-60, adding another stunning upset in what may go down as the wildest day in NCAA Tournament history.
2012 NCAA Bracket, Michigan Vs. Ohio Score: Bobcats Stun Wolverines, Win 65-60
Michigan was down 63-60 with close to a minute to play, but attempted four straight three-pointers and missed all of them. Evan Smotrycz, who was one of MIchigan's best players in the game, had the game's clinching turnover with seven seconds left.
The Bobcats were able to build their lead because Michigan couldn’t stop D.J. Cooper from getting to the rim, and he was finishing brilliantly while setting up his teammates.He finished with 21 points, five assists and was 7-11 from the field. He was doing whatever he wanted on Big Ten Freshman of the Year Trey Burke, and led the Bobcats to a wire-to-wire victory.
The Wolverines were simply ice cold all game long. John Beilein’s offense is predicated on deep shooting — the Wolverines led the Big Ten in three-pointers — and when they go cold, bad things happen. They struggled all season on the road, and playing on a neutral court seemed ominous from the beginning. The Wolverines led just once in the game, at 9-7.
Burke was the key in every big win the Wolverines had this year — over Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana — but he pulled up for three-pointers consistently late in the game without working the ball around. He finished shooting 5-15, including 2-9 from deep, and scored 16 points. He'll be back next year, but Michigan's heart and soul, seniors Zach Novak and Stu Douglass, who played hard as always, lost their final game in heartbreaking fashion.
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