The “First Four” is finally over… now on to the 1st round. The first four games of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament from Dayton, OH are completed, and now the Round of 64 is set. The Final “First Four” game was between the University of Michigan Wolverines from the Big Ten and the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane out of the American Athletic Conference.  Michigan emerged victorious 67-62. They move on to play #6-seeded Notre Dame in the 1st round of the East Regional Friday from Brooklyn, NY.

This game was actually surprisingly close throughout. Michigan led Tulsa 28-20 at the half. However a poor-shooting second half almost doomed the Wolverines. Michigan ended up shooting 24 percent for the entire game.  The Golden Hurricane though came back, and over the course of the second half, the lead would change multiple times. With about a minute left in the game, Michigan retook the lead on a three by Zak Irvin. With that three, Michigan actually brought their percentage back up to that 24 percent. Irvin only shot four times from beyond the arc versus Tulsa, but the final one ended up being the game’s most critical shot.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane barely squeaked into the tournament, going 20-10 (12-6 AAC) on the season. They would be seeded third in the AAC Conference tournament but got blown out by #6-seeded Memphis 89-65. To most bracketologists, Tulsa should not have even made it into the NCAA Tournament to begin with, as they were not mentioned on any of the 59 projected brackets from the bracketologists. Their inclusion angered many as they were picked over teams like the Monmouth University Hawks, South Carolina Gamecocks, and the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies.

The Michigan Wolverines will go to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where they will take on the 6-seeded Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish on Friday at 8:40 P.M. on CBS.