With its 76-57 win over No. 11 Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night, the Michigan women's basketball team moved away from the NCAA Tournament bubble and closer to the field of 68.

The sixth-seeded Wolverines led the entire way over the Golden Gophers to advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, setting up a matchup with No. 3 seed Indiana.

Laila Phelia was fantastic in the victory with 23 points on 7-17 shooting and an impressive 7-8 from the free throw line. Lauren Hansen and Cameron Williams also added 14 and 11 points, respectively to help the Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals.

Michigan picks up its 19th win of the season, needing just one more to continue Kim Barnes Arico's streak of winning at least 20 games in 11 of her 12 seasons at the helm in Ann Arbor, with the only exception coming in the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.

With the win, Michigan advances to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive season in which the tournament was held.

A bout with No. 3 Indiana now awaits. The Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 24-4 overall record and a 15-3 record in the Big Ten.

In one meeting this season, Indiana got the best of Michigan, 80-59. The women's Big Ten Tournament has been all chalk through six games so far — upsets have been hard to come by.

Thursday night's win over Minnesota should put Michigan into the NCAA Tournament, but with a 19-12 overall record, nothing is guaranteed. A win over Indiana, the nation's 12th-ranked team, should help the Wolverines have a much more comfortable Selection Sunday.

Friday night's game between the Hoosiers and Wolverines is scheduled to tip off around 9 p.m.

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