No. 2 Michigan Tops Nebraska 62-47 To Move To 16-0
NOAH TRISTER,AP Sports Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Glenn Robinson III had 14 points, including a pair of crucial dunks in the second half, and No. 2 Michigan equaled its best start to a season with a 62-47 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday night.
The Wolverines (16-0, 3-0 Big Ten) overcame their shakiest shooting performance in a while, holding the lead for the entire second half. The only other Michigan team to start 16-0 was the 1985-86 squad that went on to win the Big Ten title.
Ray Gallegos scored 19 points for Nebraska (9-7, 0-3), which held the Wolverines to 39 percent shooting. Michigan, which beat its first two conference opponents by 28 points apiece, went 3 of 17 from 3-point range.
Trey Burke scored 18 points for the Wolverines and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Robinson intercepted a pass near midcourt and went in alone for a soaring dunk that put Michigan ahead 47-39. After a 3-pointer by Gallegos cut the lead to five, Robinson slammed down a missed shot by teammate Caris LeVert to make it a seven-point game.
Michigan freshman Mitch McGary went diving on the floor for a loose ball, causing a jump ball that gave possession to the Wolverines. The 6-foot-10 freshman then began waving his arms, trying to pump up the crowd.
McGary's layup at the other end made it 51-42, and Hardaway's two free throws put Michigan up by double digits for the first time.
The 1985-86 Wolverines, featuring Roy Tarpley and Glen Rice, had the program's most recent regular-season conference title until last season's team finished tied atop the Big Ten. Michigan breezed through its first two league games this season but found the going a bit tough against the plodding Cornhuskers.
Nebraska, coming off a 47-41 loss to Wisconsin, was content to keep the pace slow, and the Wolverines couldn't pull away. Michigan didn't help itself by going 17 of 26 from the free throw line.
Still, the Wolverines didn't beat themselves. They turned the ball over only four times and had 19 offensive rebounds.
Toward the end, the home crowd began chanting "Beat Ohio" — Michigan plays at No. 15 Ohio State on Sunday.
Nebraska has now held 15 of its 16 opponents under 50 percent shooting, but the Cornhuskers couldn't score enough down the stretch. Gallegos had their final 13 points. A layup by Brandon Ubel with 12:53 remaining was the last scoring contribution by any other Nebraska player.
After that, Michigan freshman Nik Stauskas tossed up a wild shot on a drive to the basket. It missed, but he was able to keep the ball inbounds for his teammates before setting up over in the right corner. Stauskas eventually made a 3 to put Michigan up 43-34.
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