McGary Shines in Michigan Rout of VCU

Michigan Freshman, Mitch McGary was the spark plug that led the
fourth-seeded Wolverines to victory over five-seed, Virginia Commonwealth
on Saturday.
Picture Courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

With the 88-42 victory over Akron on Friday, Virginia Commonwealth looked like a force to be reckoned with in the South region of the NCAA Tournament. Next up on their list, was four-seed Michigan.

Michigan was ahead from the get-go, playing smart and not committing turnovers against the country's most relentless defense. The Rams of VCU were 0-8 during the season when forcing opponents into fifteen or less turnovers, and Michigan only had twelve.

Before the game, everybody expected the Michigan back court with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to be the difference makers against the tough pressure of VCU. Despite Burke's 18 points against the Rams, he wasn't the biggest star on the court for the Wolverines. Instead, it was freshman big man, Mitch McGary. McGary set career highs with 21 points and 14 rebounds in the 78-53 Michigan victory. Another freshman in Glenn Robinson III and junior Tim Hardaway Jr. each added 14 in the rout.

Michigan will now advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.