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WATCH: Reacting to Michigan's nail-biter against UC San Diego in the NCAA Tournament

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•03/21/25•

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Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May talks to his asst. coaches during the second half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press via IMAGN)
Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May talks to his asst. coaches during the second half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press via IMAGN)

The Michigan Wolverines are into the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament after a 68-65 win over UC San Diego on Thursday night in Denver, advancing to a matchup with Texas A&M on Saturday for a shot to go to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Tritons were a popular upset pick and a team that the TBS broadcast was seemingly openly rooting for throughout the night. Michigan was favored by 1.5 points in the contest and wound up covering in a game it led by 15 points at one point.

“First of all, I want to congratulate UC San Diego not only on the year they had, but the way they carried themselves, the way they play the game,” May said after the game. “They’re fun to compete against. Sometimes when you’re scouting, it’s tough to watch as much tape as we do. Watching them was actually fun, to see those guys playing with the joy, the togetherness. When you win 30 games in a league like theirs, it shows they’ve got some real substance.

“A lot like our guys, they’ve been in close games earlier in the year, found ways to win. Lately they’ve been able to pull away and separate. A great college basketball game. Once again, very grateful that these guys are on our team and they elevate their play when it means the most. Ultimately that’s what it came down to again.”

TheWolverine.com’s Anthony Broome discussed Michigan’s 68-65 victory over UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Round of 32 on Saturday.

“We told you this when we previewed this game this week, if you were going to make a Sweet 16 or get out of this weekend or get to wherever this ride takes you, this felt like one where it was going to be win by one or more,” Broome said on the postgame show. “Get out of there, survive and advance. And at points of this game, especially in that first half, I think you missed an opportunity to maybe [build a bigger lead in] the first half.

“You can sit there and get stressed because now it’s one and done. The next game that you lose, the season’s over. But if you’ve watched this team at all this year, this is very much what the recipe has been. You get up by double digits, you shoot yourself in the foot, you make some mistakes, other team gets hot. All of a sudden it’s a ball game and you got to find a way to rally back and show some toughness and get the win late. Michigan did that.”

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