LOS ANGELES – By Sunday night, there will be four teams left in college basketball. Michigan will be one of them.
Just two days after dropping 99 points on Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, the Wolverines leaned on their defense to knock off Florida State, 58-54, and reach the Final Four.
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It's the 13th win in a row for Michigan, and the last eight will result in a pair of new banners in the rafters at the Crisler Center: a Big Ten Tournament championship and a Final Four appearance.
There wasn't much going on for Michigan offensively, but Charles Matthews led all scorers with 17 points on six of 14 shooting.
Moritz Wagner struggled from the floor, but finished with 12 points on three of 11 shooting. He was 0-7 from beyond the arc.
The Wolverines led for the entire second half, but it was rarely comfortable. With just over two minutes to play, Michigan stretched the lead to 10 on a Duncan Robinson corner triple, but the Seminoles wouldn't go away.
Phil Cofer brought Florida State within two with 24 seconds left, but Robinson nailed a pair of free throws before a defensive stand put the game away.
Michigan has knocked off Montana, Houston, Texas A&M and Florida State en route to San Antonio, proving it can win playing any style of basketball. Next weekend, Michigan will have to face NCAA Tournament darling Loyola-Chicago, which is in the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.
This is John Beilein's second Final Four at Michigan, and his first since 2013, when the Wolverines fell to Louisville in the national championship game.