NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL : Western Kentucky Finishes Off Michigan

Michael Fraliex’s off-balance three-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation forced overtime, and No. 21 Western Kentucky dominated the extra period to beat Michigan, 82-76, Thursday night in the Midwest Regional’s first round.

The game closed the books on the Fab Five era at Michigan, but not without a strong finish from the remaining two members of the famed recruiting class that made it to two NCAA title games and a regional final.

Ray Jackson scored 28 points and Jimmy King had 23 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. They scored all of Michigan points in a 19-3 first-half run that turned a 25-17 deficit into a 36-28 advantage.

Chris Robinson scored 22 points for Western Kentucky (27-3), champion of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

Michigan finished 17-14.

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No. 5 Kansas 82, Colgate 68--Kansas (24-5), seeded No. 1 in the Midwest Regional, steadied itself after blowing most of an 18-point lead and gritted out the victory.

The Red Raiders (17-14), seeded 16th, got the crowd on its side by making six of eight shots to open the second half.

Billy Thomas led the Jayhawks’ balanced scoring with 19 points.

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No. 13 Virginia 96, Nicholls State 72--Harold Deane had made one of nine shots and turned the ball over five times, so it’s little wonder Virginia was struggling in the first half. But Deane keyed a 10-0 run at the start of the second half and finished with 21 points.

Fourth-seeded Virginia (23-8), regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference co-champions, plays Miami of Ohio (23-6) in the second round Saturday. Miami, seeded 12th, upset fifth-seeded Arizona, 71-62.

Nicholls State (24-6) was making its first NCAA tournament appearance.