Michigan is safely through into the Round of 32, cruising past Texas Southern after building a huge halftime lead.

In the first half of action, the Wolverines clamped down defensively to grow their lead to 18 points. At the break, it was a balanced attack and strong defense that carried Juwan Howard’s squad.

After relaxing a bit in the second half, Texas Southern was able to cut the lead to 12 points. That happened with 2:53 remaining in the game with Hunter Dickinson fouling out of the game.

Dickinson was called for a Flagrant 1 and his fifth foul after trying to back down his defender on the low block. He did make contact to the face of the Tigers defender with his elbow, though it appeared to be a normal basketball move live.

After that call, Michigan put to bed any comeback concerns. The Wolverines finished strong the rest of the way, winning by a final score of 82-66.

Before fouling out, Dickinson scored 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field to go with two rebounds and three blocks. Mike Smith led the way for Michigan with a team-high 18 points while Brandon Johns Jr. and Elie Brooks also scored in double figures.

From here, Michigan will advance to take on 8-seed LSU in the Round of 32 after the Tigers dispatched of St. Bonaventure, 76-61. It will not be an easy task for the Wolverines as LSU is led by dynamic freshman Cam Thoma who averages over 22 points per game.