Michigan dominates Purdue at Mackey, continues historic season

The top-ranked Michigan men’s basketball team walked right into Mackey Arena, known as one of the most raucous, intimidating environments in all of college basketball, and it defeated the No. 7-ranked Purdue Boilermakers by a score of 91-80.

Yaxel Lendeborg and Elliot Cadeau were especially dominant in the victory, as the two starters combined for 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting. It wasn’t just Lendeborg and Cadeau, though. Michigan had six players finish in double figures.

Right out of the gate on Tuesday night, the Wolverines looked like they had a point to prove. Fresh off their first No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll since 2013, U-M played like the nation’s best team. After falling behind 5-0 early, Michigan quickly gained the lead and began to extend its advantage.

The Wolverines found themselves up by 10 less than half way through the first half. Thanks to contributions from the likes of Lendeborg, Roddy Gayle Jr., L.J. Cason and others, Michigan established a double-digit lead early in the Big Ten grudge match.

By the 9:28 mark in the first half, Michigan had extended its lead to 15. A pair of Trey McKenney free throws and a Will Tschetter 3-pointer lifted U-M to a 26-11 lead.

From that moment on, the Wolverines maintained a double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the first half, and they even stretched their lead to as many as 20 on multiple occasions.

In the second half, Michigan failed to increase its lead, but it succeeded in keeping Purdue at a comfortable distance. The Boilermakers, led by Trey Kaufman-Renn, struggled to chip away at Michigan’s huge lead.

Elliot Cadeau was particularly impressive in the second half, scoring 12 of Michigan’s first 14 points in the second frame.

Despite strong second-half efforts from Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, Purdue’s home upset bid came up woefully short. Michigan’s depth was simply too much for Purdue to handle, and the Wolverines walked out of Mackey Arena with their first win in West Lafayette since Jan. 22, 2021.

With the victory, U-M is now an astonishing 25-1 overall and a dominant 15-1 in Big Ten play. With just four conference games left to go, the Wolverines are destined to win the Big Ten regular season championship and secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

Next up, Michigan will look to continue showcasing its artistry against No. 3 Duke on Saturday night. The Wolverines and Blue Devils will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.

With a victory over Duke, Michigan will be in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.