Notre Dame received some clutch late shots from V.J. Beachem as the No. 6 seed Fighting Irish advanced with a 70-63 win over No. 11 seed Michigan in the East Region.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Notre Dame (22-11) made a late rally as Beachem made a go-ahead 3-pointer and followed it up with a tough mid-range runner on the next possession to make it a five-point lead.
Beachem finished with a team-high 18 points for Notre Dame while Bonzie Colson had 12, Demetrius Jackson had 11 and Zach Auguste finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Michigan (23-13) couldn’t hit enough 3-pointers to stay with Notre Dame as they were 10-for-27 (37 percent) for the game. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 15 points to lead the Wolverines while Derrick Walton added 10 points, eight assists and six steals.
Notre Dame moves on to face No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin after the Lumberjacks shocked No. 3 seed West Virginia in the opening round. That East Region game will tip on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. with a trip to Philadelphia on the line.