SAN ANTONIO - Moe Wagner had a monstrous night at the Alamo, carrying the team on his shoulders and the University of Michigan Wolverines will play in the men's college basketball national championship game.
Wagner had to withstand the attacks from Loyola University Chicago right from the start, when the night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, in the first semifinal of the Final Four, looked completely dark for Michigan.
But in the end, as it has happened for the majority of the season, Wagner and the rest of the Wolverines played defense to defeat Loyola 68-57 and advance to play the winner of the game between the University of Kansas and Villanova.
Wagner achieved a double-double in the first half, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals, making him without a doubt the Most Valuable Player of the game.
Thus, the miracle for Loyola-Chicago came to an end and the predictions of Sister Jean will only be an anecdote in one of the most surprising stories in recent times in the NCAA Tournament.
For the Ramblers, Cameron Krutwig scored 17 points; Clayton Custer, 15, and Dominican-born guard Marques Townes, eight. For Michigan, Charles Matthews scored 17 points.
It seemed like it would be a complete night for blue and yellow, when the Wolverines quickly took a 12-4 lead in the first seven and a half minutes.
But then Gonzaga-Chicago reacted and took a lead of 21-17, 23-19, and 25-19 in the first half.
Michigan was struggling with their aim and seemed to be forcing their shots too much, provoked by the defensive speed of the Ramblers.
The best competitor on both sides of the court for the Wolverines was Moe Wagner, who with 2:46 minutes left to play already had a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds), while three of his starting teammates were still scoreless.
The first half ended with a score of 29-22 in favor of Loyola-Chicago, who shot 41 percent from the field, had 18 rebounds, and four steals; unlike Michigan, who only scored 29 percent of their shots from the field, had 21 rebounds, and also had four steals.
The second half was similar to the end of the first. Gonzaga started quickly and with just five minutes of play they were already ahead by 10 points, in which guard Clayton Custer played a big role with a three-pointer and three field goals in that period of time.
But Michigan accelerated, came within five points with 8:49 left to play, thanks to Charles Mattews contributing to the score, along with Duncan Robinson with two consecutive three-pointers.
Wagner finally tied the game for the Wolverines with a three-pointer with 6:33 left, and 13 seconds later Jordan Poole made two free throws to go up 49-47.
From there, Michigan never looked back and on Monday night they will try to win their first national championship since 2013.
A lot had to do with the improvement in shooting, which reached 42 percent effectiveness, 34 total rebounds, and five more steals in the second half.
With the victory on Saturday, the Wolverines remain perfect in their last seven national semifinal games...