DENVER, COLORADO – MARCH 22: L.J. Cason #2 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates after a made basket against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Ball Arena on March 22, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Michigan trailed on Saturday for most of the second half and at multiple times by 10 points.
But it led when it mattered most after rallying for a 91-79 come-from-behind win over No. 4 seed Texas A&M.
The fifth-seeded Wolverines took their first lead of the second half on a pair of free throws from backup guard Roddy Gayle Jr. at 71-70 with 6:08 remaining. The shots helped shift momentum to the Wolverines after the Aggies controlled most of the second half.
Despite a scoreless first half from All-SEC guard Wade Taylor IV, the Aggies took a 39-35 lead into the break. They extended it to 60-50 with 13:17 remaining. But the Wolverines chipped away at the lead from there and ultimately gained control of the scoreboard for good with Gayle’s free throws.
Michigan extended its lead to as high as 82-73, then thwarted Texas A&M’s own comeback before one final burst to secure the 12-point win. Gayle and All-Big Ten center Vladislav Goldin led the way.
Goldin controlled the post for the Wolverines while tallying a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds while hitting multiple big buckets down the stretch. He scored nine of his 23 points in the game’s final 5:50.
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Gayle, meanwhile, led the Wolverines with 26 points off the bench and helped spark the Michigan rally with a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point distance.
Gayle’s effort matched that of Texas A&M bench hero Pharrel Payne, who led the Aggies with 26 points with a bruising effort in the post. Payne, who entered Saturday averaging 9.9 points per game, exceeded his previous career-high of 25 set Thursday in Texas A&M’s first-round win over Yale.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome an inefficient shooting night that ultimately doomed the Aggies. Texas A&M shot 38% from the field, 25.9% from 3 and 69.2% from the free-throw stripe, all numbers that were bested by Michigan (43.1%, 27.3% and 80.6%).
Taylor’s struggles loomed large even as he rallied from his scoreless first half to tally 14 points. But he was responsible for a lot of Texas A&M’s misses on a 4-of-15 performance from the floor and 1-of-8 effort from long distance.
Michigan now advances to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in the last eight NCAA tournaments. It will take on the winner between No. 1 seed Auburn and No. 9 seed Creighton next week.
