March Madness 2022: Michigan in Sweet 16 again as Eli Brooks puts away Vols late

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Eli Brooks returned for one final college season with the goal of helping Michigan reach the Final Four.

Defying expectations, the Wolverines are halfway there.

Brooks scored seven of his 23 points in the final 3½ minutes and the 11th-seeded Wolverines booked the most surprising of their five straight Sweet 16 appearances, beating third-seeded Tennessee 78-68 on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

"I’m just trying to live in the moment right now and cherish the time we have with the people in my life right now at Michigan and enjoy the process of going through this tournament again and having that chance of getting our last goal," said Brooks, a fifth-year senior.

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Michigan's Hunter Dickinson (1), and Eli Brooks (55) celebrate after they defeated Tennessee in a college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Michigan's five straight trips to the regional semifinals is the second-longest streak in the nation behind Gonzaga's. The Bulldogs beat Memphis on Sunday night to make their seventh consecutive Sweet 16.

It wasn't clear late in the season whether the Wolverines would be in the tournament, much less have a chance for a deep run.

Hardly a conventional Cinderella given its resources and pedigree, Michigan (19-14) has the worst record of any team left in the field and did the bare minimum to secure an at-large berth. The Wolverines hadn't won two straight games since mid-February.

Still, coach Juwan Howard’s squad has plenty of talent and elevated its play down the stretch against the