Michigan basketball coach John Beilein discusses NCAA tournament win over Montana, March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. Nick Baumgardner, Freep
DES MOINES, Iowa — All Charles Matthews needed was a little more “Montana magic” to find his groove again.
Around these parts of the Midwest, that phrase recalls brief bygone days of Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Montana’s twilight years as a Kansas City Chief.
Thursday night inside Wells Fargo Arena, the Grizzlies were just the NCAA tournament opponent Michigan’s lone senior needed to see.
Matthews had easily his best game since returning from his ankle injury near the end of the regular season, piling game-highs in both points (22) and rebounds (10) in the second-seeded Wolverines’ 74-55 West Region first-round victory.