LOS ANGELES (AP) -- No. 9 seed Florida State (23-11) vs. No. 3 seed Michigan (31-7)
Final, West Region, Los Angeles, Saturday, approximately 8:49 p.m.
BOTTOM LINE: Michigan could earn a trip to its first Final Four since 2013 by setting a school record with its 32nd victory, but the Big Ten tournament champions must avoid becoming the fourth consecutive upset victim of Florida State. The Seminoles are surprisingly on the brink of the second Final Four in school history after extending the momentum from their upset of top-seeded Xavier last week by knocking out Gonzaga.
BIGGER NUMBERS: After mostly muddling through last week's opening NCAA Tournament games, the Wolverines hit their offensive stride with a 99-point thrashing of Texas A&M in the Sweet Sixteen. Coach John Beilein credits his players' embrace of their up-tempo, aggressive approach while hitting nearly 62 percent of their shots. Michigan had five double-digit scorers in the Sweet Sixteen game, while Florida State had just one while beating Gonzaga.
RARE AIR: Florida State is in the Elite Eight for just the third time in school history, while Michigan has made it three times in the last six years alone. These Seminoles probably aren't coach Leonard Hamilton's most talented team, but they embrace his motto of "18 Strong" by playing tremendous team ball on both ends, focused on game-changing defense. Florida State's only other Final Four trip came in 1972.
ON A ROLL: Michigan's 12-game winning streak is the second-longest in the nation thanks to the Seminoles, who ended the Zags' 16-game winning streak.
QUOTABLE: "We realize they have a unique system. They have a 7-footer that shoots 40 percent (on 3-pointers), which is unusual in itself. We have a couple of 7-footers that are more low post-type guys that don't guard people on the perimeter as well as probably you would need to. So we have adjustments we're going to have to make." -- Hamilton on Moritz Wagner, Michigan's sharpshooting German big man
