Basketball is a team sport, but the Michigan Wolverines can thank point guard Trey Burke for overcoming top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks Friday night in what was perhaps the most exciting game of the NCAA tournament.
Burke shook off a scoreless first half and led fourth-seeded Michigan to a historic comeback that culminated when Burke launched a 30-foot jump shot from far beyond three-point range with 4.2 seconds left in regulation. The basket tied the game at 76 and sent the game into the tournament's first overtime.
Prior to that improbable surge, Michigan had spent most of the game fighting to avoid a rout. Kansas at one point led by 14 points, and by 10 late in the second half. Then came a 14-4 Michigan run in the final 2:52 of regulation. Burke had eight of those points, including two 3-pointers.
With victory snatched from their hands, the Jayhawks, the South Region's top-seeded team, seemed to lose their nerve in overtime. The lead changed five times, and a botched final play by Kansas gave the Wolverines an 87-85 win.
Burke finished with 23 points, and his freshman teammate Mitch McGary added 25.
The win sent Michigan to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1994. They'll play the winners of Friday night's final game between Florida and Florida Gulf Coast.
Earlier Friday, Louisville, the nation's No. 1 team, extended its win streak to 13, defeating Oregon 77-69. The Cardinals will play Duke, who advanced to the Elite Eight by beating Michigan State, 71-61.
Photo Credit: AP