Ade Mara added 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Michigan (32-3), which reached the second round for the second consecutive season. Mara had seven rebounds and six assists, Nimari Burnett had 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting and Roddy Gale Jr. had 14 points (6 of 7) off the bench.
“We stayed on course,” Wolverines coach Dusty May said of his team’s improved play after leading by only four points at halftime. “We thought we took a haymaker from them in the first half, and our guys never played scared. They never played tight. They just kept getting to the next possession and found a way to get separation in the second half.”
Bryce Harris and Cam Giles each scored 21 points apiece to lead Howard (24-11). Cedric Taylor III finished with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
The Wolverines shot 67.3% (37 of 55) on the night and outscored Howard 51–34 in the second half to earn the win.
Michigan will face No. 9 St. Louis on Saturday. The Billikens defeated No. 8 Georgia 102-77 on Thursday.
A 12–1 run in the second half gave Michigan a double-digit lead for good.
Giles made a layup to cut Howard’s deficit to 65–58 with 15:22 remaining. Elliot Cadeau hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, starting the Wolverines’ run. Yaxel Lendeborg added a layup before Johnson had a dunk, Lendeborg made two free throws and Gale hit a 3-pointer to make the score 77–59 with 12:35 left.
Michigan led 50–46 at halftime.
The Wolverines took an 11-point lead with 57 seconds remaining before the break. Will Schechter drove to the rim and threw a pass to Nimari Burnett, who jumped between defenders and drew the foul. Burnett made the free throw to complete the three-point play and give Michigan a 50–39 lead.
But Howard scored the final seven points of the first half. Giles converted a four-pointer when he knocked down a 3-pointer, drew a foul and made a free throw to cut the Bison’s deficit to 50–43 with 31 seconds left in the half.
Harris capped off Howard’s frenetic first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Bison defender Osei Okojie made a steal seconds earlier to create a chance for Harris’ late shot.
–Field Level Media
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