If you've followed a team all season long, by this time, March, the NCAA tournament,

you tend to know them pretty well. You understand their strengths and their weaknesses,

their range of outcomes, all of it. Well, Thursday night in Denver, Colorado was quintessential

Michigan basketball in 2024, 2025. Look at all the ways. Michigan made sub 10-3s at a sub-40% clip.

They coughed it up 14 times.

They were up early, 10-0 to start, plus 14 at halftime, and they let it all slip away.

UC San Diego, without its best player, Aniwa-Newa-Tate Jones.

He was fouled out with a little bit less than seven minutes in this game.

Yet sure enough, for a brief moment, 16 seconds to be exact,

the Tritons snagged a 65-63 lead.

But then, again, the Michigan way, Michigan found a way to get the win.

Everybody who took the floor making at least one, and in many cases, several huge plays,

even if the box score is not amazing.

And to put the cherry on top, yes indeed, it was a win by four points or less.

Michigan has now won 11 straight games that have been decided by four points or fewer,

and they have 13 overall on the season.

And at this stage, it takes on a new level of nerves.

You kind of feel like you level up in the stress of the

moment because we're truly at the point of no return. Now, survive in advance. Every game,

a must win and every opponent really, really good. But when that buzzer sounded with Ruben

Jones securing the game ceiling rebound, there was a little bit of a

sense of familiarity with those nerves transitioning to the feeling of relief. And there was

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