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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Yaxel Lendeborg #23 of the Michigan Wolverines and Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers battle for a rebound during the first half of the 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at the United Center on March 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Michigan Wolverines suffered an 80-72 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament Championship in Chicago on Sunday. Michigan was hoping to win a second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title, but just couldn’t get the job done.
Here are eight takeaways from the loss.
The Wolverines fall just short of making history
Michigan was hoping to become the first team in school history to win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles in the same season. The Wolverines have accomplished a lot this season, but the Boilermakers were the better team on Sunday, especially in the second half.
Run to start second half overwhelmed Michigan
Both teams were trading punches throughout the first half, and it appeared the game was going to come down to the wire. But the Boilermakers went on a 24-11 run to open the second half and took firm control of the game. Purdue knocked down eight straight shots to take a 62-49 lead with 10:43 left, and the Wolverines were never really back to recover in the loss.
Purdue’s pick-and-roll proves to be lethal
When the Boilermakers went on their game-changing run to start the second half, it was the pick-and-roll between Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn that Michigan couldn’t stop. Purdue made eight straight shots, all of which came from either Smith or Kaufman-Renn, and most of those points derived from a ball screen action that the Wolverines had trouble covering.
Fletch Loyer gets loose from beyond the arc
Michigan was able to hold Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer in check in the win at Mackey Arena last month. This time around, Loyer was lights out from beyond the arc. He posted 14 points (3-of-4 from beyond the arc), five assists and four rebounds. He put up nine points in the first half alone, as the Wolverines just didn’t seem to have an answer for him.
Michigan struggles to slow down Oscar Cluff
In the first matchup this season, Purdue center Oscar Cluff was basically a non-factor as Michigan held him to just four points and three rebounds. That wasn’t the case in the Big Ten Tournament Championship, though, as Cluff was a big part of Purdue’s success — scoring 21 points and grabbing five rebounds.
Yaxel Lendeborg builds on game-winning shot
After struggling to find an offensive rhythm early on in the Big Ten Tournament, Lendeborg has completely flipped the switch and it started with his game-winning shot in the semifinals win over Wisconsin. Lendeborg played with more aggressiveness and confidence against Purdue compared to the prior games, posting a team-high 20 points and five rebounds despite the loss.
Nimari Burnett breaks out of shooting slump
Since scoring a career-best 31 points against Penn State last month, Nimari Burnett slid into a slump, averaging 5.9 points on a troubling 38.1 percent shooting from the field in the last 11 games. It appears that slump is in the rearview mirror, as he got back on track with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, which should bode well for the NCAA Tournament.
Depth isn’t what it was prior to L.J. Cason’s injury
One of Michigan’s biggest strengths all season was depth. The coaching staff could rely on nine players to make an impact, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore after L.J. Cason’s season-ending ACL injury. Not only does it hurt to be without Cason’s production, but his absence had a rippling effect on the second unit; Michigan had just eight bench points vs Purdue.
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