INDIANAPOLIS — Tre Donaldson drove the length of the court and scored on a layup with 0.4 left to give No. 22 Michigan an 81-80 victory over No. 11 Maryland in the Big Ten tournament semifinals Saturday.
Donaldson finished with 12 points and nine assists, but the heavy lifting was done by Vladislav Goldin, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Wolf with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
The Wolverines (24-9) will face No. 18 Wisconsin in Sunday’s championship game in Indianapolis.
“This is something a kid dreams of his whole life,” Donaldson said. “I mean, playing Division I basketball at a school like Michigan with the legacy it has and being able to make a shot like that, it’s unreal.”
Donaldson’s remarkable drive rekindled images of Tyus Edney in 1995 and Danny Ainge in 1981, who made similar plays to add their stories to the March Madness book. This time, Maryland tried to preserve the lead without fouling.
“What a great game for college basketball,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “A great game for our league.”
Derik Queen finished with a career-high 31 points to lead the Terrapins (25-8), who entered the game on a nine-game winning streak. Selton Miguel added 16 points. Maryland has never reached the tourney’s title game.
“Give Michigan credit, they made some good plays down the stretch,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “We just couldn’t get a stop down the stretch. It’s a good basketball team, and I’m proud of my guys for the effort.”
The Wolverines are chasing their first tourney title since winning it back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
“This league’s been a blast. Being here, the crowd, the energy, everyone around, the league’s been incredible with everything just being laid out,” May said. “We’ve had fun. Obviously, when you’re winning, it’s a lot more fun. It’s been a great league season.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
