KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To beat Oklahoma, Michigan had to overcome the fact that the Sooners were bigger, faster and stronger. But that quickly became more challenging once the game started.

Sophomore Manny Harris missed the last 15 minutes of the first half after picking up his second foul while junior DeShawn Sims missed nearly nine minutes after getting poked in the eye. And with the referees giving forward Blake Griffin and No. 2 seed Oklahoma the benefit of the doubt on many calls, the Wolverines had to overcome more adversity than they had all season.

And they almost did.

No. 10 seed Michigan fell to Oklahoma 73-63 Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines played neck-and-neck with the Sooners, never trailing by more than 13. They were down by just three with less than seven minutes left in regulation.

The loss ends Michigan's season at 21-14, an 11-win increase from 2008. A win would have put the Wolverines in their first Sweet 16 since 1994. It marks the final game for seniors David Merritt, C.J. Lee and Jevohn Shepherd.

The first four minutes of the second half are sometimes referred to as the most important, since they can often set the tone for the rest of the game. Michigan went into the locker room down one but the Sooners (29-5) came out on a quick 10-2 run to start the second half. The two squads, which had never met in the NCAA Tournament before today, traded baskets the rest of the way.

Michigan knew its hardest task would be stopping Big 12 Player of the Year Blake Griffin. The Wolverines did everything they could to stop him, mixing up zone defenses and trapping. But they had little luck as Griffin scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

The Wolverines were led by redshirt sophomore Anthony Wright and junior DeShawn Sims, who each finished with 14 points. Harris had just 11.

Wright stepped up in the first half, pouring in 12 points, including three 3-pointers, to help the Wolverines overcome the limited minutes from their two star players. Redshirt junior Zack Gibson also played well, grabbing three rebounds and blocking a shot into the first row of the stands. Every player except center Eric Puls played in the first half.

Check The Michigan Daily on Monday for more coverage of the Michigan men's basketball team's trip to the NCAA Tournament.