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No. 4 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team dismantles No. 2 Michigan Wolverines, 76-53

Illinois guard Jacob Grandison, center, pulls down a rebound over Michigan guard Eli Brooks, left, and Isaiah Livers, bottom right, in the first half in Ann Arbor on Tuesday. (AP photo)
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard reacts to a call by officials during the first half against Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. (AP file photo)

ANN ARBOR — Andre Curbelo scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half as No. 4 Illinois dismantled No. 2 Michigan with a smothering defensive performance, routing the Wol-verines 76-53 on Tuesday night.

Playing again without injured star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, 15-4) kept Michigan from clinching the Big Ten title and boosted their own chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Trent Frazier led Illinois with 22 points, and Kofi Cockburn added 12.

Eli Brooks scored 11 points and was the only player in double figures for Michigan. The Wolverines (18-2, 13-2) looked physically overwhelmed for much of the night, unable to create good shots against the Illinois defense and unable to keep the Illini off the boards. It was an eye-opening blowout — especially since Michigan has rolled to similar margins of victory against other good teams this season.

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