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Morgan's late layup sends No. 8 Wolverines past Illinois 64-63 in Big Ten tournament

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Illinois guard Joseph Bertrand, left, drives the ball against Michigan guard Nik Stauskas in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament Friday, March 14, 2014, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (The Associated Press)

Illinois guard Tracy Abrams (13) goes up for a shot against Michigan guard Caris LeVert (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament Friday, March 14, 2014, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (The Associated Press)

Jordan Morgan scored on a layup with 7.9 seconds left, giving No. 8 Michigan a 64-63 victory over Illinois in Friday's Big Ten tournament.

The Illini had a chance to win on Tracy Abrams' shot, but it bounced off the front of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

Michigan (24-7), the regular season champion, advances to Saturday's semifinals with its seventh straight win. It will face either fourth-seeded Nebraska or fifth-seeded Ohio State — two teams it has not lost to this season. The Buckeyes and Cornhuskers play later Friday.

Conference player of the year Nik Stauskas scored 19 points to lead Michigan.

Illinois (19-14) was led by Abrams and Rayvonte Rice with 11 points each.

After leading most of the game, Michigan gave away the lead with 2:30 to go. But Morgan bailed out the Wolverines with his post move to win it.