SAN ANTONIO _ Nothing looked right.
Nothing felt right.
The Michigan Wolverines walked slowly out of their locker room on Saturday night and headed down a long hallway.
Duncan Robinson wiggled his fingers, as if trying to warm them up. Michigan couldn't buy a basket in the first half.
Moe Wagner held one arm around Charles Matthews. "Let's go!" Wagner said softly to Matthews. "Let's go!"
It was halftime and Loyola Chicago held a 29-22 lead in the Final Four.
The Wolverines came together in a huddle, in the runway leading to the court, out of view of most of the fans. Wagner wrapped his arms around his teammates, as if to say:
"Don't worry, I got this."
That he did, taking over this game and leading the Wolverines to a 69-57 victory at the Alamodome.
"It's incredible," Wagner told TBS. "This is an incredible group."
The Wolverines fought back from a 10-point second-half hole. Thanks to Wagner. He was everywhere, making shots, grabbing rebounds, and punching his teammates full of confidence, scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
"He's a special kid," Michigan coach John Beilein told TBS. "I've been coaching him a long time."
With less than 7 minutes to play, Wagner hit a step back 3-pointer that tied the game.
The Michigan crowd seemed to wake up.
"Let's go Blue!" they chanted.
This team would have been nowhere without Wagner on this night. He was everywhere, doing everything.
And then, Wagner found Matthews on a cut, a fine reverse layup.
Now, that lead was up to four points. Now, the Wolverines were playing with energy.
Now, they had that confidence back.
After Wagner grabbed his 14th rebound, after he put the ball into the hoop, he was all smiles. Flexing his muscles. Punching his teammates.
"Defense!" the crowd chanted. "Defense!"
And then, Matthews hit Wagner for a 3-pointer.
I got this.
So Michigan takes down Cinderella and advances to its second national championship since 2013. The Wolverines will play either Kansas or Villanova in Monday's title game.
They have won so many different ways on this journey.
They have won with Wagner and without him.
They have won with defense and won with offense.
There was an ugly win over No. 14 seed Montana, 61-47.
There was the Jordan Poole's miracle shot.
There was a dominating offensive performance in a victory over No.7 Texas A&M, 99-72.
The Wolverines matched the athleticism of No.9 Florida State in the Elite Eight.
And then here came Cinderella, No. 11 Loyola.
Loyola was on a 14-game winning streak, the longest in the NCAA.
But Loyola didn't look good early in this game. At one point in the first half, the Ramblers went 7 minutes without a field goal.
They couldn't buy a shot. They made just two of their first 10 shots, including missing three 3-pointers. But Michigan was unable to pull way, mainly because they had five turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
Michigan had to do two things to win this game: Make their shots and not turn the ball over. They weren't doing either in the first half. At one point, Michigan missed 10 straight 3-pointers. The Wolverines shot 29 percent in the first half, making just 2 of 13 from 3-point range.
Some of the credit should go to Loyola's defense. And Michigan deserves plenty of blame, coming out and clanking so many shots.
But I also blame the setting.
Basketball should not be played in a dome. Depth perception is something awful.
There was a large Michigan contingent of fans, but the Michigan presence was drowned out in the cavernous Alamodome.
If the environment in the Elite Eight in the Staples Center was pure magic, this felt sterile by comparison.
Michigan's only answer was Wagner. He seemed to be everywhere. Making shots. Grabbing rebounds. Wagner scored 11 points and had 11 rebounds in the first half, playing 19 minutes.
"We have to rebound when Wagner gets down there," Loyola coach Porter Moser told TBS at halftime. "We gotta get into his legs a little bit."
They were never able to do that.
Not on this night.
It was Wagner's night.
