The Michigan men’s basketball team won a not-so pretty game over Northeastern, 76-56 tonight in Crisler Arena. It was the final of the Ann Arbor regional in the 2k Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. With the victory, the Wolverines will travel to New York City to play in the tournament’s final four.

Duke, which will travel to Ann Arbor on Dec. 6, has also advanced to Madison Square Garden.

Sophomore Manny Harris and junior DeShawn Sims led the team offensively with a 26 and 19 points, respectively. Harris was the game’s leading scorer.

There’s really only one way to describe the first half: ugly. Both teams went on scoring droughts over five-and-a-half minutes long. Both teams struggled to make easy shots. Both teams looked sloppy on the court.

Michigan went 8-21 from the floor, including 2-8 from behind the arc. Northeastern, which had a much taller lineup than Michigan Tech, had a much easier time breaking Beilein’s 1-3-1 defensive scheme than Tech last night, which led to plenty of open looks and offensive rebound opportunities for the Huskies.

But the Wolverines still went into the locker room with a six-point lead, because Northeastern had an even tougher time converting field goals. The Huskies shot 31 times, making just nine of them. They had a dismal outing from deep, making just 18 percent of the 3-point attempts.

With the Michigan defenders crashing the paint, Northeastern’s best player, guard Matt Janning, had several open looks off kick-outs. He shot 1-for-7 including 0-5 from beyond the arc, most of which were uncontested shots.

When the first 20 minutes expired it was clear that, whatever team won tonight, would have a lot of work to do if it wanted to make an impact in New York next week against teams like Duke, UCLA and Southern Illinois.

But the Wolverines took control four minutes into the second half. After Sims finished an old-fashioned 3-point play, freshman Stu Douglass forced a turnover, sprinted up the court and found Harris all alone for an easy 3-pointer.

The three gave Michigan a 13-point advantage, a lead it wouldn’t give up for the rest of the contest.

The Wolverines used passing lanes really effectively, especially down the stretch, to open up the offense against a stout Northeastern ‘D.’ Harris turned it on in the second half, scorching the Huskies for 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while turning the ball over just once after the break.

Michigan is on a break until the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer resumes in New York next Thursday.