It would have been just the second National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Final Four trip in the school’s history, but Michigan derailed the Florida State hopes with a grueling 58-54 win over the Seminoles Saturday night.
It is Michigan’s eighth trip to the Final Four in the proud history of that elite program.
In an Elite Eight game at Staples Arena in Los Angeles, the two teams scrapped wire-to-wire but after battling back from a 10-point deficit FSU could not quite put on the finish and gain a trip to San Antonio.
Phil Cofer’s 16 points and PJ Savoy’s 12 led the Seminole charge in their final game of the season in which they finished 23-12.
Florida State had picked up win number 23 on Thursday night by dismantling Gonzaga in a 75-60 upset.
Terrance Mann led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points.
Both Mann and Cofer were named to the All-Tournament team for the weekend for the West Region.
Florida State’s only appearance in a Final Four was in 1972 when they lost the championship game 81-76 to UCLA.
In that game, Florida State was led by the scoring of Ron King (27 points), Ron Harris (16 points) and Reggie Royals (15 points).
By: Joe Ferolito