West Lafayette, Ind. — Grad transfer guard Mike Smith admitted he and some other Wolverines had some pregame jitters before their first NCAA Tournament game.
It was hard to tell.
Michigan used a strong first-half effort to build an 18-point halftime lead in the No. 1 versus No. 16 matchup against Texas Southern and took care of business with an 82-66 wire-to-wire victory Saturday at Mackey Arena.
“I was a little nervous at first,” said Smith, who finished with 18 points and five assists. “I've watched it all my life, and to finally be a part of this was surreal during tip-off.