The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines picked up a massive 91-80 road win over the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday, 91-80, moving to 25-1 overall and strengthening their lead atop the conference standings with a 15-1 record in Big Ten play.
Here are seven takeaways from the Wolverines’ first win at Purdue since 2021.
Early onslaught was too much for Purdue to overcome
The Wolverines used early onslaught — going on a 15-0 run and holding the Boilermakers scoreless for more than four minutes — to build a 25-11 lead, and that was just too much for Purdue to overcome. Michigan led by double digits for a majority of the game and even when Purdue cut the deficit to 81-73 in the final minutes, the Wolverines quickly responded to seal the win.
Elliot Cadeau’s “special” ability was key
Michigan head coach Dusty May previously said Cadeau has a “special” way of running the offense, and that elite ability was apparent in the win at Purdue. Cadeau’s fingerprints were all over the victory, leading the team with 17 points and seven assists, including six assists in the first half alone. He also made a series of clutch shots in the second half to help fend off any Purdue comeback.
Offensive rebounding was also a huge factor
Michigan’s ability to crash the glass and grab offensive rebounds proved to be a huge factor in this game, as it held a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points in the fist half. The Wolverines consistently turned offensive rebounds into quality looks, which completely quieted the home crowd. Michigan won the rebounding battle (39-31) as a whole, with Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. totaling 11 rebounds each.
Balanced production, depth continues to overwhelm opponents
There aren’t many teams in the country that can match Michigan’s depth, and that was on full display at Purdue as nine different players scored — six of them reached double-figures. The Wolverines outscored Purdue, 34-15, in bench points, with Trey McKenney (13 points on 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range) and L.J. Cason (13 points) leading the reserves.
Ball movement, connectivity was on full display
Michigan’s offense is operating at an ultra-efficient rate right now, and it’s clear the ball movement is a massive part of that. The first 14 made shots by the Wolverines were all assisted, which shows just how unselfish and connected this team is playing. All in all, Michigan finished with 24 assists on 30 made field goals, resulting in an impressive 1.38 points per possession.
Yaxel Lendeborg is building a legitimate Big Ten Player of the Year résumé
Lendeborg got an earful from Purdue’s crowd because of his comments that went viral on social media this week, but he was business as usual on Tuesday night, filling the stat sheet with 13 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two blocks. With the season winding down, he is mire than in the mix for Big Ten Player of the Year, and it’s hard to argue after he’s been seemingly unstoppable in the last 10 games.
Michigan is checking off all the boxes of an eventual national champion
The Wolverines are ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for good reason, and Dusty May’s team continues to check off all the boxes of an eventual national champion. From a dominating performance in the Players Era Festival back in November to defeating a trio of top-10 opponents in recent weeks — including road wins at Michigan State and now Purdue — Michigan has the look of a team that can win it all.
Michigan will take an 11-game win streak into a marquee matchup with the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils on Saturday (6:30 p.m. on ESPN) at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
