WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Michigan is a machine.
On Tuesday, the newly ranked No. 1 group within the nation brandished its brawn and would possibly in an authoritative 91-80 street win over No. 7 Purdue to enhance to 25-1, marking the primary Massive Ten group to achieve that report since Ohio State in 2011 and one of the best begin in Michigan historical past.
The victory bolstered what school basketball’s most revered superior metrics have been claiming for greater than half the season: Michigan is one of the best group. The way it’s doing that is unbelievable, although. Nearly each win is both a knockout or convincing vanquishing.
And but: This group discovered itself a bit shocked by the benefit wherein it trounced Purdue.
That is as a result of nearly 13 months in the past, on Jan. 24, 2025, Michigan got here into this similar constructing and acquired dropped 91-64. The Wolverines had been down 44-15 with greater than 5 minutes to go within the first half.
“It felt prefer it was inconceivable to win right here,” Michigan assistant Mike Boynton informed CBS Sports activities.
On Tuesday, a script flipped in one of many loudest basketball environments you will ever discover. Michigan level guard Elliott Cadeau, who’s been concerned in lots of riotous arenas, in contrast Mackey Area to Duke‘s Cameron Indoor Stadium. Then he supplied the very best attainable praise.
“This place is louder,” he mentioned.
‘Paint Crew’ was primed and prepared for Lendeborg
Mackey is at all times loud, however the scholar part — dubbed the “Paint Crew” — was particularly deafening in the beginning. They let Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg have it early and infrequently with profanity-laced chants. Why? A video surfaced on social media over the weekend that dates again to final summer season, when Lendeborg was approached at a bar and dropped an F-bomb-laced promise that Michigan would… um, yeah: it was definitive. Michigan was going to beat Purdue.
“I did not suppose it was going to finish up like this,” Lendeborg informed CBS Sports activities. “I forgot in regards to the video. But it surely resurfaced and I used to be like, what?”
Oh, it went viral and Purdue’s college students had been prepared.
They had been equal components keen and offended.
After which Michigan blitzed a 24-4 run within the early a part of the sport to take a 26-11 lead — which it could by no means give again. Lendeborg completed with 13 factors (together with some spirit-crushing 3-pointers within the second half, which had been tagged with some joyous gestures proper again to the Purdue crowd) to go along with seven assists.
“He does not need to be the massive storyline, he simply needs to be one of many guys,” Michigan coach Dusty Could informed CBS Sports activities.
Michigan’s gamers had well-rounded effort: six gamers scored between 10 and 17 factors and 7 sank not less than one 3-pointer, resulting in a season-high 13 triples en path to this system’s sixth consecutive street win within the convention by not less than 10 factors.
That ties the Massive Ten report, which dates again to an Illinois streak within the Fifties.
“There have been some holes on our roster final 12 months that we needed to work round,” Could mentioned. “This 12 months, we do not really feel like there’s any holes throughout the board. There is not any type of play we won’t play properly. Are we going to win each recreation? Hopefully, however in all probability not. However we do really feel like we’re outfitted to play any type, any manner, form or kind.”
For greater than half the season, Michigan has rated No. 1 at KenPom.com and EvanMiya.com. However the AP voters could not get the Wolverines there within the earlier three-plus months as a result of Purdue, Houston and Arizona (which lastly took its first loss simply eight days in the past) held the highest spot resulting from how the schedule broke and Michigan’s surprising residence loss to Wisconsin (91-88) on Jan. 10.
The group’s received 11 in a row since, together with street victories vs. top-10 competitors: No. 5 Nebraska (75-72 on Jan. 27) and No. 7 Michigan State (83-71 on Jan. 30). Arizona’s back-to-back losses paved the way in which on Monday for the Wolverines to return to the highest of the AP ballot, a perch they hadn’t occupied in 4,765 days (final ranked No. 1 in early February 2013). Tuesday night time introduced an allegedly compelling matchup.
It marked the seventh time Purdue had hosted a No. 1 group and the primary since Jan. 8, 2005, when No. 1 Illinois beat the Boilers 68-59 in Gene Keady’s last season. (Keady was available tonight to look at courtside, as was Zach Edey, who had the time to fly in close to the tip of the NBA‘s All-Star break.)
Placing polls in perspective
Could informed me he approached his employees in regards to the No. 1 rating and whether or not they’d convey it up with the group. They determined towards it.
“I have not heard one factor in regards to the No. 1 rating, besides within the media,” Could mentioned. “Have not heard it within the locker room, on the airplane, in passing. Our guys do not actually care about that.”
Purdue did. It had no selection. This spot was its final probability to salvage a shot at a Massive Ten title. That 1 subsequent to a group’s identify is all of the motivation any opponent ever must convey that rather more to a battle. Michigan has confronted some actually good groups in some hostile environments, with extra to come back, however nothing will match the ferocity of the lead-up and opening minutes of Tuesday.
Mackey Area had the clamor of a jet engine as the sport tipped.
However U-M rendered it meaningless. The Wolverines dealt with the harassment on the way in which to doing what they’ve executed 21 instances this season: win a recreation by double-digits. Purdue misplaced for a 3rd time at residence this season; that hasn’t occurred in six years. Tuesday was additionally the primary time since 1994 that Michigan received at Mackey when Purdue was ranked within the prime 10.
“That is one of the best group we have performed,” Purdue coach Matt Painter informed CBS Sports activities. “It is the issues they trigger. They are not a group that forces quite a lot of turnovers, both, they’re simply going to get you to take more durable pictures. They have guys that may carve you.”
Michigan stifled All-American Braden Smith to zero factors within the first half (he completed with 20) and flustered Purdue to only 8-of-26 taking pictures from past the arc.
The win all however clamps the Massive Ten regular-season title in Michigan’s favor. Could’s group is 15-1 within the convention with 4 regular-season contests remaining and a two-game lead within the loss column.
“Our largest energy is we do not have a greatest participant,” Lendeborg, who, by the way in which, is Michigan’s greatest participant, mentioned. “We have been having a bit joke within the locker room, like we really feel we’re one of the best group ever assembled. It is a joke but in addition one thing we need to accomplish.”
The tongue-in-cheek (that is not so tongue-in-cheek) motto originated in Las Vegas after Michigan received the Gamers Period by 110 factors in three video games, punctuated with a 40-point beatdown of Gonzaga. Regardless of the tenor of that locker room, the group is almost indestructible. It took Wisconsin making 15 3-pointers to steal a recreation final month. On Tuesday, each time Purdue acquired inside 10, 11, 12 factors within the second half, Michigan had a solution (usually a 3-pointer) that Painter admitted to me was so demoralizing.
“We showcased we are the No. 1 group within the nation for a motive,” Lendeborg mentioned.
He is proper, and they’re. The Wolverines shot 53% from the sphere, 57% from 3-point vary, grabbed 57% of the rebounds and scored 1.31 factors per possession on the street towards a projected No. 2 seed.
And it was possibly their sixth-most spectacular win of the season.
This group is laughably good.
Showdown with Duke a de facto No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup
Michigan is 10-0 in Quad 1. It is received 10 video games by 30-plus factors, essentially the most by any faculty since Duke in 1998-99, probably the greatest groups ever to not win the nationwide title.
Talking of Duke, it is subsequent.
Yep, it is one down and one to go for arguably the hardest two-game week any group will face this common season. With the street tilt towards Purdue now conquered, the neutral-site biggie on Saturday towards the No. 3 Blue Devils in Washington, D.C. It will likely be hyped as the most important recreation of the common season, and rightfully so.
Earlier than that recreation, when the NCAA’s prime 16 seeds are revealed Saturday at 12:30 p.m ET on CBS, Michigan would be the No. 1 general seed. The Wolverines have been working as one of the best group in school basketball for greater than half this season. They appear totally tired of giving up that title after Arizona’s two straight losses, comprehensible as they had been, cracked a gap for Michigan to rise to its earned spot at No. 1.
The Wolverines and their top-ranked protection have executed sufficient to show they need to be the deepest, most harmful group within the NCAA Event.
And if Michigan beats Duke on Saturday, it is going to be on a shelf to itself, trying down at the remainder of school basketball, heading into March.
