ARLINGTON, Texas – Before Florida warmed up for its contest against FGCU, it witnessed Michigan guard Trey Burke’s late-game heroics against Kansas.
Burke helped the fourth-seeded Wolverines (29-7) erase a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 87-85 in overtime and advance to the Elite Eight, where it will meet UF (29-7) on Sunday at 2:20 p.m.
Burke scored all of his 23 points in the second half and made a deep three-pointer with 4.2 seconds left to send the game into extra time.
The 6-foot sophomore guard shot 9 of 21 from the field, recorded 10 assists and turned the ball over only four times against KU. The last player to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a Sweet 16 game was Florida coach Billy Donovan as Providence's point guard in 1987.
Donovan compared Burke to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving.
“Not only is he playing the game, but he's also measuring the game, how are you guarding, what's open, what can he do,” Donovan said. “He understands the length and time of 40 minutes. He’s got the ability to explode at any point in time in the game.”
Burke, one of four finalists for the Naismith, leads Michigan this season with 18.9 points and 6.8 assists per game. His turnovers are also down to 2.2 per contest — 0.7 fewer than in his freshman season. He thrives in pick-and-roll situations and succeeds finding shooters on the perimeter when he penetrates defenses.
Guard Scottie Wilbekin will be tasked with primarily guarding Burke on Sunday. Wilbekin said Burke is similar Missouri point guard Phil Pressey but a better scorer.
“He does a great job of getting into the lane,” Wilbekin said. “Once he gets in there, he can either finish himself or find all the shooters they have or (Mitch) McGary inside. It's definitely going to be a challenge and we've got to be on edge the whole game.”
Wilbekin and the Gators have enjoyed success against highly regarded guards this season, including Pressey, who had a two-point effort on 1-of-7 shooting in Missouri's 83-52 loss to UF on Jan. 19. Florida forced FGCU point guard Brett Comer into committing nine turnovers in the Gators' 62-50 win on Friday.
“I know Scottie Wilbekin is definitely up there at the top of the list as far as defenders,” Burke said. “He’s going to make me work.”
But Donovan asserted that shutting down Burke would take a collective effort.
“When it comes to Scottie, I think he would agree, yes, he does a great job getting on the screens,” Donovan said. “He works hard. He’s very committed to defense. He gives you a great effort. He takes pride in it. But I also think our frontcourt players, … really help Scottie do his job. If we don't have enough help built in around Burke with him coming off screens, using screens, it makes it very, very difficult for any defensively player to handle a guy like that.”
Burke is one of four Michigan players averaging double-digit points per game. Slowing the sophomore guard will help the Gators defend an offense ranked sixth nationally with a 48.6 field-goal percentage.
“He has got a great ability to get everybody involved, whether it's McGary up front, (Tim) Hardaway (Jr.), (Glen) Robinson (III) on the perimeter,” Donovan said. “This is a great challenge, maybe the best offensive team in the country.”
Michigan guard Trey Burke (3) celebrates with his teammates after making a game-tying three pointer during the second half of Friday's Sweet 16 game against Kansas at Cowboys Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Wolverines defeated the Jayhawks 87-85 in overtime.
