michigan vs purdue: Top-Ranked Wolverines Rally to a 91-80 Win at Mackey Arena
Michigan tightened its grip on the Big Ten race, handing Purdue a 91-80 loss Tuesday at Mackey Arena. The No. 1 Wolverines improved to 25-1 overall and 15-1 in league play with the road victory, while Purdue slipped to 21-5 and 11-4 and will be more focused on NCAA seeding than the conference crown with four games remaining.
How Michigan seized control
Michigan opened the game by turning ordinary possessions into extra chances and exploited Purdue’s struggles at the rim to build a commanding first-half advantage. The Wolverines dominated the offensive glass early, outscoring Purdue 14-4 on second-chance points in the first half and producing the game’s first 11 extra-point opportunities. That hustle translated into a 16-point halftime lead and momentum that the Boilermakers never fully recovered from.
Offensively, Michigan spread the floor and got contributions from its backcourt, with one primary ball-handler finishing with a balanced line of points, rebounds and assists that kept possessions moving. The bench also supplied meaningful minutes and scoring at a time when Purdue’s reserves went cold, helping Michigan sustain pressure through long stretches and close out transition windows before Purdue could regroup.
Purdue’s missed chances and late push
Purdue’s game plan showed flashes of the season-long identity that has made it dangerous: physical post play and ball movement designed to produce high-percentage looks. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but many of those points required inefficient volume — 12 makes on 26 field-goal attempts — because Purdue couldn’t consistently convert at the rim early. The Boilers were just 4-for-9 on layups in the first half and failed to generate any pick-and-roll or lob dunks that typically energize their attack.
Braden Smith was scoreless in the first half for a second straight outing but rallied for 20 points in the second half, narrowing the gap at times and forcing Michigan to defend with urgency. Purdue limited early turnovers — committing only three in the first half and actually winning the points-off-turnovers battle 22-12 — yet it could not string together stops when Michigan converted hustle plays into easy putbacks and tip-outs. The Boilermakers' bench was unable to follow suit; several reserve players combined for limited production late, making sustained runs difficult to complete.
Implications and what’s next
The result leaves Michigan firmly in control of the conference chase with a small slate of games remaining. For Purdue, the loss is a reminder of how costly stretches of missed layups and surrendered offensive rebounds can be against elite opponents. Even if Purdue wins out, the realistic path to the Big Ten title has narrowed; the team’s focus will shift to securing a strong NCAA tournament seed, tightening interior finishing, and finding more consistent bench scoring.
Tuesday’s tipoff was scheduled for 6: 30 p. m. ET, and the game underscored a recurring theme this season: when Michigan protects the glass and gets timely production from its depth, it is extremely difficult to slow down. Purdue showed resilience and an ability to threaten in spurts, but without cleaner finishes in the paint and a fuller lift from the supporting cast, the Boilermakers left Mackey Arena having lost ground in the conference race.
