Wolverines battle to bitter end in 73-71 loss to top-seeded Blue Devils
CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) -- Nolan Smith scored 24 points and top-seeded Duke held off a late rally to beat Michigan 73-71 on Sunday and give Mike Krzyzewski the 900th career victory.
Kyle Singler added 13 points for the Blue Devils (32-4). They shot 51 percent, never trailed in the second half and advanced to the round of 16 for the 12th time in 14 years.
Darius Morris scored 16 points to lead the eighth-seeded Wolverines (21-14). They trailed by 15 with 10:51 to play but clawed within one point twice in the final 90 seconds.
Then, Smith missed a free throw with 8.7 seconds left to give Michigan one last chance, but Morris' runner in the lane with 2 seconds left bounced off the back iron.
Smith grabbed the rebound at the buzzer, sealing Duke's trip to Anaheim, Calif., for the regional semifinals Thursday night.
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