NEW YORK (AP) — Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 21 points and Moe Wagner had 20 as No. 15 Michigan dealt a significant blow to Nebraska’s NCAA hopes, beating the Cornhuskers 77-58 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
The fifth-seeded Wolverines (26-7) face top-seed Michigan State on Saturday in the first semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
Wagner and Abdur-Rahkman were both limited by foul trouble in Michigan’s opening tournament victory against Iowa. The Wolverines’ stars fouled out in the overtime game against the Hawkeyes, but Michigan survived without them.
Against the fourth-seeded Huskers (22-10), Wagner and Abdur-Rahkman were full-go and Nebraska could not do much to stop them. Wagner drove the baseline for a dunk late in the first half that helped the Michigan go up 34-24 at the break.
Abdur-Rahkman’s 3 with 6:01 left in the second half made it 61-42 for the Wolverines. The many Michigan fans at the Garden spent the rest of the game singing the school’s familiar fight song — “Hail to the victors valiant” — chanting “N-I-T” at Nebraska and savoring a chance to knock off the rival Spartans.
Isaiah Roby led Nebraska with 18 points.
