Four plays this season that helped Michigan reach the Final Four:
The block
Play: After making five consecutive 3-point shots in the second half, guard Tim Hardaway blocked Ohio State's Aaron Craft in the final seconds of overtime to secure a 76-74 overtime win over the then-No. 10 Buckeyes on Feb. 5 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Why it mattered: The win came three days after the Wolverines lost their No. 1 ranking in a road loss at Indiana and avenged a three-point loss to the Buckeyes in January.
Quote: "I saw the ball in my face, so I just tried to wrap it up," Hardaway told the Associated Press. "Probably got his arm or something like that, but like I said, it's up to the refs to call that call, and they let it go."
The drive
Play: Near the end of the first half, guard Trey Burke drove for a basket, ending up on his back, to tie Penn State at 32-32 en route to an eventual 79-71 win over the Nittany Lions on Feb. 17 in Ann Arbor.
Why it mattered: After losing three of four, Michigan trailed by as many as eight points in the first half against the downtrodden Nittany Lions before rallying to avoid a disastrous home loss. Burke's basket completed a 7-2 half-ending run, after which the Wolverines never trailed again.
Quote: "It was an incredible shot," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told the AP. "It looked like he was going to pass it, but he hung in the air long enough that he could change his mind and shoot it. And, he's talented enough that he made it."
Thievery
Play: Burke picked Michigan State point guard Luke Appling's pocket at midcourt and went in for an uncontested dunk to give the Wolverines a 59-57 lead with 22 seconds remaining in Ann Arbor on March 3.
Why it mattered: One game after getting upset by Penn State, the Wolverines allowed a 10-point lead to evaporate and faced a tough loss to the then-No. 9 Spartans before recovering. The steal and basket, along with another Burke steal on the Spartans' final possession, settled a score after a 23-point loss to archrival Michigan State earlier in the season.
Quote: "I really wasn't pressuring him as hard as I felt like I could, the whole game," Burke told the AP. "I tried to turn him as many times as possible. The one time I did turn him, he kept the ball out, so I just went after it. If I was going to miss it, then I was going to be out of the play."
Clutch bomb
Play: In the South regional semifinals March 29, Burke made a 3-pointer from perhaps 30 feet to tie No. 1-seed Kansas with 4.2 seconds left in regulation in Arlington, Texas.
Why it mattered: Michigan trailed by 10 with 2:30 left in the game before finishing regulation on a 14-4 run, eight points scored by Burke, including the deep 3-pointer. The surge sent the game to overtime, where Michigan won to advance to the Elite Eight with an 87-85 win.
Quote: "Elijah Johnson ran over me," Mitch McGary, who set a screen to free Burke, told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "I was on my back when Trey shot the 30-footer. The ball was way up in the air. That was as deep a shot as I've seen."
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