Wake Forest center Kyle Visser, left, looks to make a shot under pressure from Minnesota center Spencer Tollackson (50) and guard Jamal Abu-Shamala during the first half of an NIT first-round basketball game in Minneapolis, Wednesday, March 15, 2006. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Vince Grier scored 18 points to lead Minnesota to a 73-58 victory over Wake Forest in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night.

For the Gophers (16-14), this one was all about their seniors. Grier also had eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Moe Hargrow scored 15 points, Adam Boone added 13 points and J'son Stamper had 12 points and nine rebounds.

Minnesota, the fourth seed in its group, will play a second-round game next Tuesday against the winner of Friday's Cincinnati-Charlotte matchup.

Chris Ellis led the Demon Deacons with 12 points and six rebounds, and Justin Gray had 11 points and five assists in the end to an ultimately disappointing season. Ranked 18th in The Associated Press preseason poll, Wake Forest (17-17) finished last in the 12-team Atlantic Coast Conference after losing star Chris Paul to the NBA.

The Gophers gave a sparse crowd -- with students on spring break -- two highlight-reel sequences in an even, fast-paced first half in which neither team led by more than seven.

In the opening minutes, Grier leaped high to catch a lob pass from Hargrow with one hand and landed on the low block before popping right back up for an easy basket. Later, Stamper got a steal and started a fastbreak that he ended with a one-handed, back-spinning bounce pass that landed in a streaking Rico Tucker's hands for a layup.

The fans that were there were fairly loud, though, and they howled over a curious call at the beginning of the second half that negated a nifty drive to the hoop by Grier when he was whistled for charging.

During a brief conference by the officials to determine how much time should be on the clock following a dead ball in the final minutes, one man hollered, "It's an NIT game!"

The Gophers played like it was more than that, pulling away down the stretch while Grier showed off the quickness, soft touch and knack for finding the basket that made him an All-Big Ten Conference selection last year. Set back with a broken finger in the season opener that kept him out of the next five games, Grier wasn't as consistently dominant as he was as a junior -- but he clearly remained Minnesota's best player.

Grier has 47 points in the Gophers' last two games.