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Michigan Basketball Instant Recap: U-M Rolls 77-58, Sets Up MSU Rematch

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Nebraska came out hot in the first four minutes of a Big Ten quarterfinal with U-M ... and that would be the highlight of the game for them in a 77-58 loss.

 Junior Moe Wagner dunks for two of his
Junior Moe Wagner dunks for two of his (USA TODAY Sports Images)
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Junior big man Moe Wagner scored Michigan’s first five points, two inside followed by a long triple, but Nebraska was on fire early in taking a 9-5 lead. Wagner kept Michigan close with his second triple from the same spot, just left of the top of the key.

Senior shooting guard Muhammad Ali-Abdur-Rahkman gave U-M it first lead at 14:00 with a triple from the corner. Robinson continued the triple barrage with one from the top, and U-M expanded its lead ... one it would never relinquish.

The Wolverines led by 13 when Abdur-Rahkman made it 26-13 with a shot from the top of the key. Defense, though, was the difference to that point. The Cornhuskers made only five of their first 24 shots, while Michigan was 5-of-10 from long range.

Freshman point guard Zavier Simpson helped the cause, too, aggressively driving and finishing twice to open it up.

U-M led 30-15 when Simpson found Wagner alone underneath for a dunk.

Nebraska changed it up with a trapping zone … Robinson busted it immediately with a triple from NBA range that made it 33-15. The Cornhuskers, though, made a run, outscoring the Wolverines 9-1 over the next three minutes to pull within 10, 34-24 at the break.

Wagner led Michigan with 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half, Abdur-Rahkman and Robinson added eight each and Simpson notched four points and four assists.

Michigan made 13-of-32 shots and 6-of-13 from long range.

SECOND HALF

The ‘Huskers opened up with a set play alley-oop, and it was game on. They went back to their man-to-man defense, and Simpson found Wagner to end a 9-0 Nebraska run.

The Wolverines reopened a 12-point edge when Simpson drove and scored at the rim.

Nebraska responded with a 5-0 run after fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson’s layup attempt was goaltended at the rim, but Abdur-Rahkman’s triple from the corner, set up by a driving Poole, pushed the lead back to 10 at 13:45.

Robinson pushed it back to 13 with a triple from the corner after sophomore Jon Teske kept an offensive rebound alive. Simpson scored on a beautiful teardrop finish to push it to 50-35.

Abdur-Rahkman’s triple from the top at 9:55 opened it to 53-37 and put the Cornhuskers squarely on the ropes.

Robinson answered a Glynn Watson triple with one of his own at 6:45, and Abdur-Rahkman’s at 6:01 made it 61-42 and had U-M feeling good about a Saturday semifinal match-up with Michigan State.

Nebraska’s Watson hit another triple over Simpson to cut it to 12 at 4:30 and give the Cornhuskers some life, but U-M closed it out at the line in a dominant win.

Abdur-Rahkman scored 21 points to lead the Wolverines, Wagner added 20 points and 13 rebounds, Robinson 16 (4-of-7 triples) and Simpson 12 points and six assists in the win.

The Wolverines improved to 26-7 overall and will face the Spartans Saturday at 2:00. U-M won the first game, 82-72 in East Lansing.

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