In a back-and-forth contest that featured seven second-half lead changes and four ties, the No. 11-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team notched a second straight upset victory on the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend, this time over No. 3 seed Tennessee, 76-68, on Saturday (March 19) in the second round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Michigan earned its fifth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and will play next Thursday (March 24) in San Antonio, Texas, against the winner of Sunday's matchup between No. 2 seed Villanova and No. 7 seed Ohio State.

Hunter Dickinson posted a double-double and was key in sparking the Wolverines' second-half run as he scored 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field -- including 3-of-5 on three-point field goals -- to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Eli Brooks was clutch in the second half while racking up 23 points and five assists.

After a mixed bag of a first half in which the Wolverines shot the ball well enough -- 13-of-29 from the field and 4-of-9 from deep -- but struggled with nine turnovers that led to 12 Volunteer points, Michigan recovered from a 37-32 deficit at the break to outscore Tennessee 44-31 in the second half.

Dickinson and Brooks came alive in that second half, outscoring the Volunteers by themselves with a combined 33 points -- 18 from Brooks and 15 for Dickinson -- on 11-of-15 shooting between the two, while Tennessee managed only a 14-of-33 clip from the floor, including misfires on all nine second-half three-pointers. The Wolverines sealed the deal with an efficient 88 percent showing from the free throw line in the second half, making 14-of-16 attempts.

Moussa Diabate added 13 points and six rebounds, and Terrance Williams II added nine points, six of which came during crucial moments in the second half as the Wolverines were battling to preserve their comeback lead.

In what began as a back-and-forth track meet, the Wolverines (19-14) hit back-to-back three-pointers (Brooks, Dickinson) to ignite the crowd. Point guard DeVante' Jones, back to the starting lineup after missing the previous game due to a concussion, hit a running layup and grabbed three rebounds as the Maize and Blue went into the first timeout with a 10-8 lead.

With the vaunted pressure defense of Tennessee (27-8) clogging the middle, the Volunteers forced two turnovers and drew within two before Dickinson drained his second triple of the first half to keep U-M ahead. A follow-up layup by Brooks gave the Wolverines a 17-12 lead into a timeout. Out of the break, UT went on a 6-0 run to take its first lead, 18-17. But off the bench Williams drained U-M's fourth triple to take a 22-20 lead into the media break.

Using baskets down low by Dickinson and a pair from Diabate, the Maize and Blue capped off an 8-4 run to lead 30-26. A 7-0 spurt off two more U-M turnovers put the Volunteers right back into the game as they re-claimed the lead, 31-30. Once again, Dickinson stopped the momentum with a foul-line jumper. However, UT continued to hold the lead and extended it to five, 37-32, after a converted and-one from Uros Plavsic. Following U-M's ninth turnover, a last-second triple try missed, keeping UT ahead by five.

Dickinson took control out of the halftime break, scoring Michigan's first seven points of the half -- including a converted three-point and-one opportunity -- to keep the Wolverines apace with the Volunteers. Brooks hit a fast-break triple four minutes into the half to cut Tennessee's lead to one point, 45-44, and one minute later Diabete tied it up on a 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line.

After trading two-pointers for several possessions, Dickinson hit his third triple of the game to give Michigan the lead back, 50-49, with just under 14 left to play. Tennessee responded with a run of its own, as the Volunteers converted four straight layups and a free throw to take their biggest lead of the day to that point at six points, 60-54, with 8:30 to go.

Coming out of a media timeout with less than eight minutes left to play, Brooks hit the floor to get a steal and converted on the ensuing possession with a pullup jumper to spark a run for the Wolverines. Brooks layed it in with just under seven minutes to go to cut the margin to two points, 60-58, and with five minutes left Williams flew in to tip in a missed three-pointer from Frankie Collins to tie it up at 60.

After Tennessee broke the tie with a fast-break layup off a Michigan turnover, the Wolverines scored on back-to-back possessions to retake the advantage. Williams got another second-chance bucket and Brooks drove to the hoop and drew an and-one opportunity, giving U-M a three-point lead, 65-62, with three and a half minutes left.

Clinging to a 66-64 advantage, the Wolverine defense in the paint held as it prevented two opportunities for near-range buckets, and Williams ultimately drew a foul on the rebound to set up two makes from the charity stripe and extend Michigan's lead to four, 68-64. The defense came up big on a second consecutive possession, forcing a shot-clock violation and milking valuable time off the clock. A backcourt turnover by Brooks forced by the Tennessee defense led to a layup that cut the Wolverine lead to two points, 68-66, with 1:30 to play, but Brooks bounced back with a driving hook shot to restore the lead to four points with 53 seconds to go, 70-66.

Michigan stretched the lead to six points on a pair of Brooks free throws with 36 seconds remaining, 72-66. Tennessee had a chance to cut it in half with an and-one opportunity with 25 seconds to go but could not make the free throw and trailed by four, 72-68. Diabete hit a pair of free throws to reset the six-point lead, and Dickinson prevented a layup with 13 seconds to go. He hit two free throws on the ensuing foul to seal the win.

Now, U-M heads to San Antonio, Texas, for the regional rounds on Thursday, March 24 (Sweet 16), and, if it advances, the Elite Eight on Saturday (March 26) at the AT&T Center. The last time Michigan visited San Antonio was in the 2018 Final Four. U-M defeated Loyola-Chicago in the semifinal round before falling to Villanova in the national title game.