Escape Artists Michigan, Texas A&M Clash in West Region
LOS ANGELES (AP) — No. 3 seed Michigan (30-7) vs. No. 7 seed Texas A&M (22-12)
Sweet 16, West Region; Los Angeles; 7:37 p.m. ET on Thursday.
BOTTOM LINE: The Wolverines escaped by one point against Houston in the second round, one of three one-point victories this season. "We've had a lot of good breaks this year," coach John Beilein said. "I've been with teams that were really good teams that had a lot of bad breaks." The Aggies are coming down from the high of knocking off defending national champion North Carolina in their previous game on Jordan Poole's 3-pointer.
STREAKING: Michigan is riding an 11-game winning streak, with its last loss coming Feb. 6 at Northwestern.
FROM D-III to D-I: Michigan's Duncan Robinson is believed to be the first Division III player to transfer to a Division I school and receive a major scholarship. He helped Williams College finish as D-III national runner-up in 2013. The fifth-year senior is a captain for the Wolverines who started their first 18 games before going to the bench and earning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors.
LAST TIME: The Aggies last played in a Sweet Sixteen two years ago in Anaheim, California, where they lost to Oklahoma 77-63. They have never reached the Elite Eight in school history.
QUOTABLE: "Life today for these kids is so much about highlights and not about substance. That's the biggest challenge with all of us right now ... is handling that type of hype that goes to the kids. It's the end of the world on any little thing. No, it's not. Just continue on. Keep being persistent and things will work out." — Beilein.