During the Michigan basketball team’s 76-56 win over Northeastern last night, representatives from the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer were faced with one of the easiest decisions ever.

They had to pick an MVP from the Ann Arbor Regional, to be awarded immediately after the game. No one in Crisler Arena was remotely surprised when Michigan sophomore Manny Harris was called to the scorer’s table to accept the award.

Following a career-high 30 points against Michigan Tech on Wednesday in the tournament’s first round, Harris notched 26 last night. But Harris's work didn't stop there. He collected a game-high 10 rebounds and was just two assists shy of a triple-double.

The first two games were Harris's first opportunity to prove that he’s ready to take on a larger role than last year, when he was mainly a slashing scorer.

And he did everything last night. He did what he does best, dicing through the lane to make seemingly impossible layups. He was clutch from behind the arc, cashing in on a huge 3-pointer midway through the second half to solidify Michigan’s big lead. He was dead-on from the charity strip, making 13-of-14, even while a rather boisterous Northeastern fan chanted his real name, Corperryale, from behind the basket.

But most importantly, he saw the floor better, giving him ample opportunities to find open teammates for easy buckets.

“I don’t really have words for this guy,” senior Jevohn Shepherd said. “Tonight he was just a well-rounded player, assists, points and rebounds. He just does it all, and he’s a great player.”

The victory means the Wolverines will travel to New York City to play UCLA in the tournament’s final four next Thursday. Duke, which will travel to Ann Arbor on Dec. 6, Southern Illinois are also going to Madison Square Garden.

With tougher teams awaiting them in New York, the Wolverines (2-0) have a lot of work to do. While Michigan's 1-3-1 defense looked aggressive and opportunistic against Michigan Tech on Tuesday night, Northeastern’s size and talent effectively broke the zone. When the defense crashed in the paint, the Huskies kicked it out for easy 3-point opportunities. If Northeastern’s best player, guard Matt Janning, had fared better than 0-for-5 from behind the arc in the first half, it could have been a different game.

But the most glaring statistic was the Huskies’ 20 offensive rebounds. Freshman Stu Douglass said the coaches got on the team at halftime for a lack of aggression and boxing out on defense. But the Huskies still collected nine offensive boards after the break, giving them plenty of second chances.

Michigan coach John Beilein isn't too worried about the rebound war, even though the Wolverines will be facing stiffer competition in New York.

“I’ll say this — rebounding is very significant,” Beilein said. “But the final score is what we care about more than anything, it really is. I mean, they get offensive rebounds, and we won by 20. Right? We’ll take that.”

Michigan will take its first trip to the Garden since it lost in the National Invitational Tournament title game in 2006. Shepherd is the only player remaining from that team. The other two seniors, C.J. Lee and David Merritt, walked onto the team the next season (2006-2007).