Trey Burke is the hero for the Wolverines as they take on the Florida Gators in the Elite Eight on Sunday for a chance to go to the Final Four, as the Michigan star leads the team at Cowboys Stadium in Texas.
Burke, who was the conference player of the year in the Big Ten, hit the game-tying 3-pointer against Kansas to help push the Sweet 16 into overtime, after which Michigan prevailed to advance to their first regional final in nearly two decades. The team was one of the best in the nation during the season and enters the matchup as the fourth seed against the third-seeded Gators, who won the SEC regular-season title.
Cowboys stadium has already been the host to a number of exciting games and they should get another one on Sunday, but it will be hard to top the final moments against Kansas, as Burke hit an NBA-long three with just under five seconds left to play to send the game inro overtime. Burke rebounded from an awful opening half that saw him miss all his shots, but he scored 23 points after halftime and helped the Wolverines comeback from a 14-point Jayhawks lead. He also added 10 assists in the game and according to the Associated Press, he is the first player to do that in that round since Florida coach Billy Donovan did it back when he played at Providence.
Florida has a bit more recent experience than Michigan in the elite eight, as the Gators have been there for three straight seasons while the Wolverines are back for the first time in 19 years. Donovan has won two championships with the Gators, but the team was bested by Louisville and Butler in each of their past two tries. The Gators took down Cinderella story Florida Gulf Coast University on Friday 62-50 despite falling behind 15-4 early and now will take on a talented Michigan team.
Michigan will be looking to get back to the Final Four for the first time since making back-to-back national championship appearances in the early 90s and the Wolverines have put in their best season since that run. Michigan ranked 27th in scoring with 75 points per game while ranking ninth in the nation in field goal percentage with 48 percent from the field. The team is ranked 77th in assists per game and is 156th in rebounding with over 35 per game.
The Gators went 29-7 this season, including 14-4 in the SEC while ranking 64th in scoring with over 70 points per game and 158th in rebounding. The team is 33rd in the nation in assists and is eighth in field goal percentage while shooting over 48 percent from the floor. The team lost to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament, but hasn't lost since while taking down Northwestern, Minnesota and Florida Gulf Coast before facing Michigan.
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