by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com
Tuesday’s college basketball slate presents a matchup of top ten teams as the newly-minted No. 1 ranked Michigan Wolverines (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) visits the No. 7 ranked Purdue Boilermakers (21-4, 11-3 Big Ten) in a Big Ten battle on Peacock. This is the first regular season meeting between the Big Ten powers. Michigan occupies first place in the Big Ten, while Purdue is tied for third place.
Michigan and Purdue are squaring off for the first time since last season’s Big Ten quarterfinal where the third-seeded Wolverines hammered the sixth-seeded Boilermakers 86-68. Michigan has lost three in a row at Purdue, their last win at Mackey Arena occurred in January 2021.
Michigan is a 2.5-point favorite and the total is 156.5.
WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME
Michigan routed UCLA (17-8) 86-56 at home on Saturday night. The Wolverines only led by 2 (40-38) at halftime but came out on fire after the intermission, making nine consecutive shots to break the game open. They outscored UCLA 46-18 in the second half.
Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 17 points (4-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 30 minutes. Sophomore Morez Johnson Jr. registered 15 points (6-6 FG, 3-3 FT), 3 rebounds and 3 steals across 24 minutes, while fellow sophomore L.J. Cason added 13 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and 2 assists in 20 minutes off the bench.
Michigan is ranked #1 in the AP Poll for the first time since Jan. 28, 2013. They advanced to the National Championship game and lost to Louisville that season.
Purdue subdued Iowa (18-7) 78-57 on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers limited the Hawkeyes to 37.7% shooting from the floor in the victory. Purdue has now won four games in a row. Saturday’s victory at Iowa wrapped up a stretch where the Boilermakers played four of five games on the road, they won three of those four games.
Sophomores C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris each scored 14 points to lead Purdue. Star senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn produced 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT) and 12 rebounds across 31 minutes in the victory.
GAME STORYLINES: MICHIGAN
When Michigan hired former great player/alum Juwan Howard as head coach of the basketball team in May 2019, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Howard amassed a stellar 3-year career (1992-1994) as part of the ‘Fab Five’ at Michigan before going on to play in the NBA for a whopping 19 seasons — 1995-2014.
Juwan Howard did well in his first 3 seasons as head coach, guiding the team to an Elite 8 appearance — as a No. 1 seed — in his second season in 2020-21. He followed that up with a Sweet 16 appearance in year 3 (2021-22) as an 11 seed.
Unfortunately, Juwan Howard and Michigan took a nosedive after the 2021-22 season. The Wolverines finished 18-16 in 2022-23, then hit rock bottom in 2023-24 dropping to 8-24 (3-17 in the Big Ten). Michigan’s 24 losses were the most in program history. Howard was fired right after the season in March 2024.
Michigan hired Dusty May to replace Juwan Howard. May compiled an excellent 126-69 (.646) record in his 5 seasons as head coach at Florida Atlantic University. He led the Owls to the Final 4 in 2023. May immediately turned things around at Michigan finishing with a 27-10 record — a 19-game improvement over the 2023-24 season — and earning a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan advanced to the Sweet 16 (Regional Semifinal) where they lost to top-seeded Auburn.
Dusty May has masterfully used the transfer portal to turn around Michigan. In his first season at the helm last year, May’s top 5 scorers were all transfers — including leading scorer Vladislav Goldin (16.3 ppg) who May brought with him from Florida Atlantic.
This season, a multitude of transfers/newcomers are leading Michigan to what may be a historic season for the storied program. Michigan has won 24 of 25 games for the first time in program history. Leading the way is, UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg. The 6-foot-9 senior is averaging a team-leading 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, along with 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals on 50.9 percent shooting from the floor in 25 games. He’s developed into one of the top players in the country for Michigan after two standouts seasons at UAB.
Fellow transfers Morez Johnson Jr. (13.6 ppg, 7.2 rebs, 1.2 blks, 67.9% from 2 in 25 gms) from Illinois, center Aday Mara (11.3 ppg, 7 rebs, 2.8 blks, 65.1% from 2 in 25 gms) from UCLA and point guard Elliot Cadeau (9.8 ppg, 5.5 asts in 25 gms) from North Carolina, along with true freshman guard Trey McKenney (9.9 ppg, 2.7 rebs, 45.8% from 2, 90.8% free throws in 25 gms) are standouts alongside Lendeborg on this deep and talented Michigan team.
GAME STORYLINES: PURDUE
After a terrific four-year career at Purdue (1990-1993), Matt Painter eventually succeeded legendary Purdue head coach Gene Keady — who coached at Purdue from 1980-2005 — beginning in the 2005-06 season. Painter has upheld and somewhat exceeded the legacy of his predecessor and former coach Gene Keady.
Matt Painter has amassed a 496-220 (.692) record in his 21 seasons at Purdue. They’ve been a consistent Big 10 powerhouse under Painter and made the NCAA tournament in 17 of his 21 seasons. Painter guided Purdue to the National Championship game in 2024. It was Purdue’s first Final 4 appearance since 1980 and third overall in program history.
Purdue’s best teams under Matt Painter have consisted of strong play from upperclassman that have played together for several years — which is a bit of an anomaly considering the proliferation of transfers and NBA-ready true freshman that enter college each season. The 2025-26 Purdue Boilermakers boast a trio of seniors that have played together since the 2022-23 season and have led Purdue to the No. 7 ranking in the nation.
The aforementioned senior trio of point guard Braden Smith (14.7 ppg, 8.9 asts, 4 rebs, 1.8 stls, 48.2% from 2, 41.5% from 3 in 25 gms), shooting guard Fletcher Loyer (13.5 ppg, 2.2 rebs in 25 gms) and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (12.4 ppg, 9 rebs, 56.7% from 2 in 25 gms) have been outstanding this season. All three players were key contributors to the Purdue team that made it to the National Championship Game in 2024.
The senior trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn has the experience and talent to lead Purdue on a deep NCAA tournament run next month.
THE PICK: PURDUE (+2.5)
Michigan looks like a lock to make the Final 4 with their talent, size and depth but I think they come up short tonight against a senior-laden Purdue team playing at home. Purdue should get a huge boost from the frenzied 14,000+ fans that will pack venerable Mackey Arena. Take the Points and Purdue tonight!