Michigan will look for its fourth straight win when it meets Virginia Tech in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, will attempt to rebound from a pair of home losses.
The winner will meet the winner of South Carolina versus Xavier.
The Wolverines (4-1) wrapped up a 3-0 homestand with a 72-49 rout of Tarleton State on Thursday. Michigan scored the first 10 points after intermission and did not allow a basket until the 15:49 mark.
Roddy Gayle Jr. led the Wolverines with 16 points, Sam Walters and Tre Donaldson added 13 each and Vladislav Goldin finished with 12.
“It’s nice to finish our homestand with a win, another game I feel we learned something about ourselves,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “This was a game we needed. (Tarleton) coach (Billy) Gillespie, he gets his guys to play physical.”
Michigan made just 6-of-22 shots (27.2 percent) from 3-point range and 16-of-23 free-throw attempts (69.6 percent).
Michigan is shooting 52.8 percent from the field, which ranks in the top 20 nationally. Seven Wolverines are shooting above 50 percent from the field.
Virginia Tech (3-2) is looking to bounce back from a 74-64 home loss to Jacksonville last Wednesday.
The loss snapped a 24-game home nonconference win streak. The Hokies had not lost to an opponent from a non-power conference at home by 10-plus points since 1993.
“I’d like to tell you that it’s really good in practice; it hasn’t been,” Hokies coach Mike Young said. “We don’t play with the best basketball IQ and that’s on me. I’ve got to teach it better, I’ve got to drill it better.”
Mykyjael Poteat’s layup tied it at 44, but Jacksonville quickly regained the lead and didn’t trail again as the visitors shot 62.1 percent in the second half.
Poteat finished with 15 points and eight rebounds and Tobi Lawal scored 14 for Virginia Tech, which was outscored by 20 points after intermission.
Virginia Tech trails 4-2 in the all-time series with Michigan, but the Hokies have won the previous two meetings. The most recent matchup was Nov. 30, 2016, when Virginia Tech won 73-70 in Ann Arbor as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
–Field Level Media
