Top-ranked Michigan uses first-half surge to sink No. 7 Purdue

The chances for another Big Ten regular-season championship banner just about vanished on Tuesday night.

All because of top-ranked Michigan, which showcased its efficiency and talent and provided why it’s the favorite to not only win the conference title but cut down the nets in April.

The Wolverines dominated the seventh-ranked Boilermakers in nearly every phase, posting a 91-80 victory at Mackey Arena. The loss drops Purdue three games behind Michigan with five remaining.

Although not mathematically eliminated from the race, it would take a late-season winning streak from the Boilermakers and a collapse from the Wolverines.

“These dudes ain’t losing four games. We got four losses. They ain’t losing four games. That’s just that. That’s reality when you’ve been in a league for over 25 years,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.

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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER

PURDUE’S BRADEN SMITH, FLETCHER LOYER AND TREY KAUFMAN-RENN

MICHIGAN PLAYERS AND DUSTY MAY

Purdue may string together wins to end the regular season, but this version of Michigan isn’t losing its grip on the Big Ten championship.

The Boilermakers rode the early energy of the sellout crowd, but once the Wolverines crashed the offensive boards and converted those into second-chance points, the lead quickly reached double digits.

And the advantage continued to grow.

Michigan started hitting 3-pointers following offensive rebounds, and the hole continued to get deeper. The Wolverines made 8 of 16 from 3-point range by seven different players in the first half while building a 48-28 lead with 1:55 before halftime.

They finished 13 of 23 from beyond the arc. They entered Tuesday shooting 35% from 3-point range.

Purdue tried to cut into the margin after halftime but made little progress as the Wolverines continued to bring answers at both ends. The Boilermakers couldn’t generate enough defensive stops to prevent Michigan from maintaining its double-digit lead.  

Early on, Purdue missed too many layups – it was 1 of 5 in the first 10 minutes, allowing the Wolverines to get out in transition. Overall, the Boilermakers missed nine layups, leaving a potential 18 points off the board.   

Trey Kaufman-Renn carried the offense with 27 points but needed 26 field goal attempts and had 12 rebounds. Braden Smith didn’t score his first basket until early in the second half and finished with 20 points and six assists. Fletcher Loyer finished with 11.

Led by Elliot Cadeau’s 17 points, Michigan had six players reach double figures. Yaxel Lendeborg and Trey McKenney added 13. Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, Jr., each had 11 rebounds, as the Wolverines controlled the boards at both ends.  

“THEY MADE US PAY”

Similar to the loss against Illinois, an opponent’s offensive rebounds hurt the Boilermakers.

And it was the long rebounds that cost Purdue in both games. The Wolverines were quicker to the ball away from the rim and kept possessions alive with tips and batting balls out to the perimeter.

From there, Michigan’s ball movement was quicker than the recovery on defense, leading to open 3-pointers. In the first half, the Wolverines scored 14 second-chance points, with four different players hitting 3-pointers.

“They did a good job just tipping the ball out and getting those second-chance points,” Smith said. “When you’re fighting down there, and then the ball goes over your head, and they’re able to complete that (3-pointer), or whatever it is, and score, it sucks. They definitely get an advantage from that.”

Here’s the impact of those four 3-pointers, following offensive rebounds:

• Lendeborg pulled the Wolverines within 7-5 (15:45).

• L.J. Cason gave Michigan a 21-11 lead (10:10).

• McKinney pushed the advantage to 31-18 (7:58).

• Nimari Burnett increased the margin to 42-22 (4:23).

Although the Boilermakers had one more offensive rebound than the Wolverines, it didn’t feel that way. Michigan punished Painter’s team with those second-chance opportunities in the first half.

“In our last two games, we set the tone on the glass,” Painter said, referring to wins over Nebraska and Iowa. “Even though we end up only being down eight rebounds and having more offensive rebounds than them, they set the tone. That is the game right there. They made us pay.”  

Johnson and Mara combined for nine of their team’s 13 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points.

Purdue evened up the second-chance points after halftime, but the damage was done. This is a case where the final numbers won’t tell the story of how this game unfolded.

BOTHERED BY LENGTH

The offense had a chance to deliver an early punch, but the Boilermakers didn’t convert around the rim.

The missed layups prevented Purdue from extending an early lead and allowed the Wolverines to start their fastbreaks. The Boilermakers weren’t scoring on their end and giving up points on the defensive side.

That’s not a winning combination against an elite team.

“I thought their length at the rim bothered us, but we were getting the ball where we wanted to get it,” Painter said. “We had some pretty good shots that didn’t go down.”

Not being able to set their defense didn’t help them cover shooters, forcing the Boilermakers to scramble.

“When you’re scoring the ball, it’s gonna give you even more energy on the defensive end,” Kaufman-Renn said. “But it also keeps them out of transition. There’s just so many things when you think we can put the ball in the basket. You can set your defense, and it does a lot.”

“BENCH PLAY WAS THE DIFFERENCE”

What put the Wolverines over the top was the production from their bench.

Roddy Gayle, Jr., Cason, McKenney, and Will Tschetter combined for 34 points, hitting 10 of 16 shots, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range.

“I thought our bench was the difference,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “We felt like at halftime, all nine guys that played had played well. If a guy doesn’t have his best stuff, you can play someone else. And tonight, we just kept going with whoever we thought gave us the best chance to win the next possession.”

The vast number of options the Wolverines trotted out didn’t allow the Boilermakers to make a serious dent into the lead when the game was on the line.

Purdue’s bench has been better in previous games, but couldn’t match what Michigan’s reserves delivered on Tuesday. The Boilermakers had 15 points off the bench with Omer Mayer hitting a pair of 3-pointers and finishing with eight points.

“I love our depth,” Painter said. “It’s just one of those things where we just have to be better. Our bench has really helped us. We’ve had some guys really step up coming off our bench.

“But collectively, it’s not really our bench, it’s just as our team. We had to be better today. But us not being better was Michigan. You’ve got to give Michigan credit.”