They got there eventually.

Michigan was expected to cruise to a Senior Day win over Nebraska even before the Huskers suspended starting point guard Cam Mack for a violation of team rules. Buckets by the two Wolverine seniors, Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson, bookended an 11-2 run to open the game, and it looked like we could fast-forward to the each player getting the ceremonious late-game substitution and resulting ovation.

Teske's post play got Michigan out to an early lead [Campredon]

Instead, the Wolverines closed the half with 16 minutes of awful basketball, allowing the Huskers to climb back to within four points at the break. While Teske got off to a strong start, the offense dragged as Simpson and Isaiah Livers shot a combined 3/16 in the first half. Nebraska didn't exactly shoot the lights out, either, but a few timely three-pointers kept them in touch.

The opening moments of the second half made it clear that would not continue. On the first play, Teske whipped a pass to a cutting Livers, who threw down an emphatic dunk as if to unleash the frustration from some close first-half misses. On M's next trip, Livers backed down Thorir Thorbjarnarson and drilled a fadeaway over him. Shortly thereafter, Simpson hit a corner three, Teske finished an and-one hook over half of Lincoln, and Brooks followed a Simpson layup with one of his own to force a Nebraska timeout. Four minutes had passed. Michigan had extended their lead to 14.

X sizes up his final shot at Crisler, a made corner three [Campredon]

This time, 16 minutes of good basketball followed, and the Wolverines outscored Nebraska 50-30 in the second half. Livers snapped out of his slump, going 5/8 in the second half, to finish with 18 points and ten rebounds for his second career double-double. Simpson went 3/5 with a pair of corner threes. Brandon Johns and Austin Davis, who both struggled off the bench in the first half, each added seven second-half points.

The turnaround allowed for fitting sendoffs. First Johns scored an and-one that allowed Juwan Howard to take out Teske—who stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, an assist, two blocks, and two steals—for a bear hug and standing ovation. Simpson found Johns cutting to the rim for his tenth assist of the game on Michigan's next possession and a quick whistle saw him walk off to more cheers and embraces. John Beilein looked on from the stands. Tears were shed.

a perfect moment [Campredon]

They got there.

Michigan is now 19-11 and 10-9 in the Big Ten heading into Sunday's season finale at Maryland. They've locked up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. These two seniors spearheaded trips to the Final Four and Sweet Sixteen the last two years. It's time to settle in and see how far they can go on their last ride. Regardless, it's tough to overstate their importance to this program as it saw out the end of the Beilein era and made a sudden transition into the Age of Juwan.

[Hit THE JUMP for a quick recap of the WBB BTT game and the box score.]

WBB Big Ten Tournament 2nd Round: #7 Michigan 81, #10 Nebraska 75

I could only keep half an eye on this game because it occurred at the exact same time as the men's game, so this will be short. Michigan trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half as their star, Naz Hillmon, played only ten minutes because of foul trouble (and, yes, the resulting autobench). While Hillmon didn't have her best performance after the break, her presence opened up room for Amy Dilk and Hailey Brown to each tally double-digit points in the second half as the Wolverines charged back.

Akienreh Johnson tied the game at 44 off a Maddie Nolan steal midway through the third quarter, then Nolan drilled a three to give Michigan the lead. They'd never relinquish it and the margin would balloon to as many as 12 points late as the Huskers tried and failed to get within a possession. Dilk led the team with 22 points, six assists, and zero turnovers. Hillmon finished with 20 points, and while she went 7/20 from the field, she pulled down six offensive rebounds and dished out five assists, finishing a team-high +20 in 29 minutes. Brown (13) and backup center Izabel Varejao (12) also finished in double figures.

Michigan will play two-seed Northwestern tomorrow at 6:30 ET on BTN for a spot in the semifinals.

The box score:

The Men's Box Score