UC San Diego Tritons were close to pulling an upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Michigan Wolverines. With only 2:29 left on the clock, they took the lead but ultimately couldn’t hold on, with the Wolverines winning 68-65.
The Tritons were seen as underdogs with sportsbooks heavily favoring Michigan who at the time of the game, were among top 20 favorites to win it all.
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Having won the Big West, UC San Diego Tritons were ranked 12th in the West, which meant they would face Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
In the game at Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, the Wolverines were off to a good start. They jumped to a 10-0 lead while the Tritons struggled to make their shots, starting 0-for-7 from the field. It took them five minutes to make the first shot which allowed Michigan to build a double-digit lead.
The Wolverines held a 41-27 lead at halftime but their troubles started in the second half. Poor execution and excessive turnovers led to the Tritons having a 14-4 run and taking the lead.
For a brief moment, it seemed UC San Diego could pull an upset and go through to the second round. Their lead lasted for 17 seconds before Tre Donaldson hit a deep 3 to put Michigan up 65-63.
The Wolverines managed to hold their composure in the final two minutes with Vladislav Goldin extending their lead to 68-65 with 19.3 seconds on the clock.
The Tritons were led by Tyler McGhie who totaled 25 points and 9 rebounds while Nordin Kapic added 15 points and 8 rebounds. Hayden Gray scored 10 points.
McGhie had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but with the 7-footer Danny Wolf in his face, he hit the back iron.
The Wolverines struggled with turnovers the entire game and it didn’t help that Goldin picked up his fourth foul at the 8:25 mark.
The Russian center led the Wolverines with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Tre Donaldson recorded 12 points and 7 rebounds.
What helped the Wolverines escape with the win were the performances off the bench, with Roddy Gayle Jr. scoring 11.
Commenting on the game, the Tritons head coach Eric Olen said that the team found its rhythm in the second half and started playing the same way they did all year. He added that he was glad the team allowed themselves to win the game.
The loss to the Wolverines marked the end of the Triton’s 15-game winning streak. As mentioned above, they were seen as the underdogs against the team that made an unlikely run to the Big 10 tournament title.
Had they managed to get past the Wolverines, the Tritons would have faced Texas A&M Aggies in the second round.
UC San Diego officially completed their transition to Division I sports at the end of the 2023-24 season after the four-year mandatory transition period.
They ended the campaign with a 30-5 record, with Eric Olsen and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones honored by the NABC. Tait-Jones was named to the Pacific District First Team while Olsen was named District’s Coach of the Year.
The game against the Wolverines marked their first-ever participation in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
