Michigan smothers Montana in NCAA Tournament first round

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, Michigan forced Montana to miss 21 of its first 25 shots and cruised to a 74-55 victory. In a rematch from the first round of last year’s Big Dance, the Wolverines held the Griz to 33 percent shooting overall.

The win moves Michigan into the second round of the tournament to face No. 10 seed Florida, a 70-61 victor over No. 7 Nevada on Thursday. The loss drops Montana to 26-9 this season, the second straight campaign the Griz have posted that same record.

The 52 wins over the last two seasons is the most by a Montana squad in school history. Seniors Ahmaad Rorie, Michael Oguine, Bobby Moorehead and Jamar Akoh each played their final games as Grizzlies on Thursday.

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