For pretty much the entire first half, it looked like Michigan basketball was well on its way to upsetting Notre Dame and advancing in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan took a 41-29 lead into the locker room at the half and seemed to have all the momentum in the world after Mortiz Wagner hit a buzzer-beater at the rim.
A big key to the Wolverines’ first-half success was defense. Notre Dame coughed up the ball 10 times, which helped Michigan get up an extra nine shots. Derrick Walton Jr. recorded four steals in the first half alone, and Michigan as a team had seven.