The Michigan Wolverines breezed past the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions 63-50 on Tuesday evening at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor.
Forward Evan Smotrycz had a fine night for the Wolverines, scoring 16 points on 4-6 shooting from the field, 3-4 from deep and 5-5 from the stripe. Guard Trey Burke also had a strong all-around game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
Michigan won for the third straight game, and they won easily. The Wolverines took a 37-17 lead into the halftime break, and were never threatened, although they were actually outscored by the Golden Lions 63-50 in the second half, which is not likely to go over very well with head coach John Beilin or perhaps the voters that ranked Michigan 18th in the latest AP Poll.
Tim Hardaway Jr. only scored eight points, just the second time this season that he has failed to reach double figures.
Michigan, which improved to 8-2 on the season, next takes on the 2-3 Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Saturday.