Men's March Madness Saturday takeaways: How Michigan won

Men's March Madness Saturday takeaways: How Michigan won

-->

Skip to main content Skip to navigation

< >

Men's March Madness Saturday takeaways: How Michigan wonSaint Louis Billikens3hESPNSources: UNC, Davis discussing future after lossNorth Carolina Tar Heels2hPete Thamel and Jeff BorzelloMichigan handles Saint Louis to make Sweet 16Michigan Wolverines2hAvila sees iconic career end in loss to MichiganSaint Louis Billikens1hAlaina GetzenbergIowa State F Jefferson unlikely to play vs. UKIowa State Cyclones43mBen BabyFlorida starts title defense with 59-point poundingFlorida Gators17hReed in rare air with 31-27 night as UConn escapesUConn Huskies14h'Drug transactions' allegedly on Holloway's phoneAlabama Crimson Tide19hMyron MedcalfPurdue's Smith leaps Hurley as NCAA assists kingPurdue Boilermakers21hBen BabyChase Johnston's first 2-pointer, no subs for Siena and more men's NCAA first-round superlativesNorth Carolina Tar Heels22hKalan HooksMen's March Madness 2026: Ranking the remaining 32 teamsDuke Blue Devils16hMyron MedcalfPurdue's Smith leaps Hurley as NCAA assists kingPurdue Boilermakers21hBen BabyWelcome to 'The Reef': LIU's 'fins up' chant has turned a near-empty gym into March magicLong Island University Sharks1dJ.J. PostMen's tournament: Arizona, Michigan jockey for top odds, St. John's on the moveDuke Blue Devils7hDoug GreenbergMen's tournament: Lines, totals and BPI projections for the second round1dESPNRanking the top 50 men's college basketball players who could define March MadnessDuke Blue Devils3dJeff Borzello and Myron MedcalfBoozer, Dybantsa, Peterson, Wagler: Coaches break down freshmen built for MarchDuke Blue Devils2dJason JordanMen's coaching carousel tracker: All the intel entering the NCAA tournamentBoston College Eagles2dJeff BorzelloMark Konezny-Imagn ImagesESPNMultiple AuthorsMar 21, 2026, 02:30 PM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhich teams are moving on to the Sweet 16?

ESPN reporters across the country are recapping how each second-round game is decided Saturday.

How Michigan won: Led by Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan pulled away in the second half of its game against Saint Louis to advance to its 16th Sweet 16 with a 95-72 win. While the Billikens kept up with the Wolverines in the first half and early in the second, Michigan's shooting (55.7% from the field) and defense forced Saint Louis to take a significant number of 3s, but it struggled to make them fall, going 10-for-32 from deep. Billikens center Robbie Avila went 3-for-10 from the perimeter but had five assists and left the court to "Robbie" cheers.

The Wolverines had nine blocks, their most in an NCAA tournament game since blocks were first tracked in 1985-86, and outrebounded the Billikens 42-27. Lendeborg scored 25 points and became the first Michigan player with 25-plus points and no turnovers in an NCAA tournament game since Glen Rice (1989). Michigan is now the first Big Ten team to record back-to-back NCAA tournament games with 90-plus points since title-winning 1989 Michigan. -- Alaina Getzenberg