Wolverines pound undersized Terriers

MILWAUKEE - When it counted, Michigan exerted its will on an over matched opponent.

Glenn Robinson III scored 14 points, Jordan Morgan had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and the second-seeded Wolverines started their quest for a second consecutive trip to the Final Four by beating 15th-seeded Wofford 57-40 on Thursday night in the NCAA tournament.

Michigan (26-8) tried to capitalize on its decisive edge in athleticism on the undersized Terriers (20-13) but had some nervous moments after missing 15 of their first 18 shots in the second half.

Karl Cochran’s three-pointer with 9:25 left - Wofford’s only three of the game - whittled an 18-point deficit to 40-33.

But the Wolverines regrouped, and Caris LeVert’s three with 4:17 left gave them a 15-point lead to deflate Wofford’s dreams of an upset.

Cochran finished with 17 points.

Nik Stauskas had 15 points for the Wolverines, while Robinson hit big shots in the same arena his father played in as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1990s.

The elder Robinson, sitting in the Bradley Center stands, surely was impressed with pesky Wofford, the Southern Conference champions who hustled to the final buzzer.

It wasn’t a particularly pretty game.

Michigan opened the second half shooting 2 of 12, and Cochran’s three with 9:25 left got Wofford within seven points. Even the crowd broke out into a “Let’s Go Wofford!” chant.

As if flipping on a switch, the Wolverines then turned up their intensity. Morgan glided in for a basket and Robinson followed with a tip-in.

After a missed jumper by Spencer Collins, LeVert hit his three from the top of the circle to get the lead back to 15.

Michigan shot 33 percent in the second half after shooting 63 percent in the first.

The spunky Terriers knew they had to play a perfect game to have any shot at taking down Michigan, but they were just 1 of 19 from three point range.

Michigan was never truly threatened in spite of Wofford’s second-half spurt, leading 34-20 at halftime thanks in part to 11 points from Robinson.

SAINT LOUIS 83, N.C. STATE 80, OT

ORLANDO, Fla. - Rob Loe scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, helping St. Louis wipe out a late 14-point deficit and pull away in overtime to beat North Carolina State.

Jordair Jett overcame a slow start to score 18, doing most of his damage while the fifth-seeded Billikens (27-6) were making their comeback in the last five minutes of regulation.

Both teams shot horribly from the free-throw line, with Saint Louis shooting 12-for-26 and No. 12 seed NC State shooting 20-for-37.

T.J. Warren scored 28 points for the Wolfpack (22-14), but the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year made just six of his 14 free throw attempts, including one that could have tied it in the final minute of OT.

TEXAS 87, ARIZONA STATE 85

MILWAUKEE - Cameron Ridley’s buzzer-beating layup lifted Texas to a victory over Arizona State.

Jonathan Holmes missed badly on a long three-pointer for the seventh-seeded Longhorns in the final seconds, but Ridley emerged from the scrum with the ball and banked it in as time expired over the outstretched fingers of an Arizona State defender.

The call stood after a video replay, giving Texas its first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

Ridley finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Longhorns (24-10).

Jordan Bachynski scored 22 points for No. 10 seed Arizona State (21-12), which was making its first tournament appearance since 2009.

LOUISVILLE 71, MANHATTAN 64

ORLANDO, Fla. - Luke Hancock hit two huge three-pointers in the final 1:19 to help Louisville finally shake free from tenacious Manhattan.

The defending national champion Cardinals were down 58-55 with less than 4 minutes to play before coming alive from the three-point line.

Guard Russ Smith, who finished with 18 points, got things going with a game-tying three from the wing. Hancock delivered the knockout blows. He stole an inbound pass, got fouled and made both free throws. He hit the first dagger with 1:19 remaining and sank a wide-open look from behind the arc with 28 second left.

Hancock finished with 16 points.

Behind those shots, fourth-seeded Louisville (30-5) advanced to face fifth-seeded Saint Louis on Saturday in the Midwest Region.

Ashton Pankey led 13th-seeded Manhattan (25-8) with 16 points.