DAYTON, Ohio -- Zak Irvin hit a go-ahead three-pointer and two free throws in the closing minute as Michigan pulled out another one at the end on Wednesday night, beating Tulsa 67-62 in the First Four.
The Wolverines (23-12) made the leap from bubble team to the NCAA Tournament with their last-second drama. They hit two final shots for victories in the Big Ten Tournament, including one by Irvin that beat Northwestern.
His three-pointer put the Wolverines up 62-60 with 52 seconds to go, and his two free throws with 10 seconds left sent the 11th-seeded Wolverines into a matchup against rival Notre Dame in Brooklyn on Friday night.
Tulsa (20-12) got 23 points from Shaquille Harrison, but its senior-laden lineup couldn't keep up at the end. There were five ties and 12 lead changes in the frantic second half.
Tulsa didn't even expect to get to the First Four after losing its opening game in the American Athletic Tournament -- Harrison tweeted that the NIT was likely the next destination. But the Golden Hurricane had one advantage over Michigan -- much more experience, with four starting seniors.
Michigan has only two seniors, and both are hurt. But the Wolverines' knack for finding a way in the final seconds held up. Irvin had 16 points as four Wolverines reached double figures.
Irvin hit a jumper with 3.3 seconds left for a 72-70 victory over Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines then upset top-seeded Indiana 72-69 on Kameron Chatman's three from the right corner at the buzzer in the quarterfinals.
The Wolverines couldn't hit a three-pointer -- a staple of their high-scoring offense -- and wound up struggling to put runs together. They lead the Big Ten with 9.3 made threes per game, but went only 6 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Tulsa forward Rashad Smith twisted his right ankle when he landed after making a basket that completed an 8-0 run midway through the first half for a 16-9 lead. Smith put little weight on the foot as he went to the locker room for treatment, then returned later in the half and got back into the game.
Michigan's Derrick Walton Jr. made two threes for a 28-20 halftime lead, the fewest points Tulsa had scored in an opening half all season. The Golden Hurricane shot only 36 percent and missed all three of their free throws.
HOLY CROSS 59, SOUTHERN 55
Holy Cross has a losing record -- and a long-awaited victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Robert Champion scored 19 points, including a key three-pointer in the final minute, to help the Crusaders beat Southern University for their first tournament victory in 63 years.
Holy Cross (15-19) was an unlikely NCAA participant, earning its automatic bid by winning four consecutive road games to take the Patriot League Tournament title.
Now, after pulling out a sluggish game in the First Four, the 16th-seeded Crusaders are off to play No. 1 seed Oregon in the West Regional on Friday in Spokane, Wash.
Champion, a junior guard, also made two key free throws with 14 seconds left to seal the victory in a sloppy game that didn't get tight until well into the second half. He connected on as many threes as the entire Southern team, which was 3 for 20 from beyond the arc.
Southern (22-13), a historically black school in Baton Rouge, was ineligible for postseason play the past two years because of a problem with its academic reports to the NCAA. It earned an automatic bid when it beat Jackson State 54-53 in the championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.
Anthony Thompson added 12 points for Holy Cross, and Karl Charles had eight.
Adrian Rodgers led Southern with 14 points, and Shawn Prudhomme scored 10.
Sports on 03/17/2016