U-M surprises Illinois, 60-55; sets up showdown with #1 Ohio State

Darius Morris scored eight of his 17 points in the final eight minutes, leading #4 Michigan back from a nine-point deficit to beat #5 Illinois 60-55 in the men's Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Wolverines coach John Beilein beat the tourney’s winningest team and won in his 1,000th game as a head coach.

Mike Tisdale, Demetri McCamey and Brandon Paul each scored 10 points to lead the Fighting Illini (19-13). It’s only the second time in 14 years that Illinois did not advance to the semis.

After closing the first half on a 17-4 run, the Illini didn’t let Michigan (20-12) get closer than seven until Morris took over late. Morris tied the score at 51 with 3:24 left, and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:42 left finally gave Michigan a 56-53 lead that it didn’t relinquish.

With the win, Michigan will have showdown in the semifinals Saturday with their arch-rival #1 Ohio State. The game is set to begin at 1:40 pm ET.