Purdue: 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

 

CHICAGO — Oscar Cluff scored 21 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 20 and No. 18 Purdue topped No. 3 Michigan 80-72 on Sunday for the Big Ten Tournament championship.

Michigan: 2024-25 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

 

Both Michigan and Wisconsin clearly showed signs of fatigue from playing their third day in a row. Big Ten basketball is rugged, and the wear of playing three consecutive days clearly showed. The battle tested Wolverines still found a way to win by a score of 59-53, capturing the Big Ten Tournament Championship to cap off an amazing run.

Shooting was abysmal and point-blank layups were less than guaranteed for most of the game. With their legs fatigued, both teams shot poorly from deep and the halftime score of 23-21 told the whole story. And while those struggles continued in the second half, it was the Wolverines who ultimately made enough plays to secure the win.

Here are three takeaways from Michigan's Big Ten Tournament Championship victory over Wisconsin:

1. The win may not affect Michigan for the NCAA Tournament

Michigan was predicted as the last 4-seed in the tournament prior to the Big Ten Championship game. Most pundits agreed that, regardless of the result, Michigan would stay in that 4-seed spot. They could sneak into a 3-spot with the win, but that seems unlikely. One of the biggest positives of the tournament run is the Wolverines staying healthy. Duke saw two of their stars suffer injuries in their conference tournament. Going into the NCAA tournament healthy is critical for a team like Michigan with less bench depth.

2. Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf have to be willing to take over

While fatigue was certainly a factor, Goldin and Wolf struggled mightily in the first half of this game. Michigan will have a tough time putting together a deep run in the NCAA tournament if that becomes a consistent issue. Goldin missed quite a few point-blank shots, and Wolf seemed lost and out of rhythm in the first half. For teams to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, the stars have to perform and be willing to take over. Hopefully, after some rest, Goldin and Wolf can get back to dominating.

3. Three-point shooting remains an issue

Wisconsin shot under 20 percent from three and Michigan was not much better shooting below 30 percent. Elite guard play and timely three-point shooting are a key aspect to NCAA Tournament success, and the Wolverines have struggled as of late from behind the arc. Again, fatigue was a factor in this game and some rest could mitigate much of that in the coming days. The maize and blue certainly have some capable three-point shooters in Donaldson, Burnett and even Wolf. If they can rest and reset before the NCAA Tournament, that three-point prowess could propel a deep run.

Michigan struggled in close games early in the season. But those struggles turned into a strength in the latter half of the season, as the Wolverines became comfortable in close games and consistently made the right plays at the right time to pull out victories. Going into the NCAA Tournament, all of those close games will bode well for the the maize and blue. Big Ten Tournament Champions once again, an amazing first year for new head coach Dusty May continues.

Purdue: 2022-23 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

CHICAGO − If anyone doubted the validity of Purdue's regular-season Big Ten championship, the Boilermakers doubled down.

After running through the league and winning the title by three games, Purdue (29-5) beat Rutgers, Ohio State and Penn State on consecutive days to add a Big Ten tournament championship.

Piloted again by Zach Edey and a cast of eight solid role players, Purdue stopped a monumental week for the Nittany Lions on championship Sunday with a 67-65 victory in the United Center, surviving a late rally.

With 3.3 seconds left, Penn State's inbounds pass from the right wing was tipped by Edey, causing a scramble that resulted in a traveling violation on the Nittany Lions. With 0.6 of a second left, Purdue heaved a pass to the 7-foot-4 Edey, who swatted it away as time expired.

It is Purdue's second Big Ten tournament championship, with the first coming in 2009.

Edey also added to his postseason haul of awards, garnering Tournament Most Valuable Player to package with his Big Ten Player of the Year award.

3 stars

Zach Edey, Purdue: The Boilermakers trailed 4-0 after Penn State opened with two straight shots. Then Edey scored. Then he scored again. And Purdue's unstoppable force was just that. Edey went 12 of 17 from the field, finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

David Jenkins Jr., Purdue: Jenkins continued his hot shooting in the first half Sunday, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, missing only on an attempt as the shot clock expired and on the final play of the first half. This week, Jenkins became the scoring punch Purdue needed off the bench, scoring 11 first-half points.

Purdue men's basketball: This third part is interchangeable and probably why the Boilermakers got just one player (Edey) on the Big Ten's first-, second- and third-teams. There's Edey. And there's a plethora of really good basketball players besides him. None consistently stand out, but at one time or another, all eight players aside from Edey in the rotation have stood out. Every player who saw the floor in the Big Ten Tournament championship - Edey, Jenkins, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Brandon Newman, Ethan Morton, Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn - had big moments in Sunday's victory.

Key moment

Penn State can get hot from the outside and with Jalen Pickett, has one of the most dynamic players in the Big Ten.

When the Nittany Lions pulled within 40-36 with 16 minutes to go, it felt like an opportunity.

Purdue slammed that door shut immediately, holding Penn State to five points over the net seven-plus minutes and expanding that lead back to 14.

Ethan Morton slid into the paint on a Seth Lundy drive and drew a charge with 8:21 to go. This is the stuff that gets Purdue coaches excited more than flashy passes or 3-point shooting. The United Center erupted as Morton pounded the floor with both hands in celebration after the charge.

Penn State was able to cut the lead to four with 1:55 to go, but the Boilermakers went back to old reliable, getting it down low to Edey, who turned and put in a shot off the glass. Purdue needed every bit of that separation.

Myles Dread hit a 3, then Penn State stole the ensuing inbounds pass and cut the deficit to 66-65. Loyer made 1 of 2 free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining.

Key stat

When Purdue struggled this season, it was plagued by turnovers.

Needing to elevate its level of play heading into the NCAA tournament, the Boilermakers were masterful in taking care of the basketball on Sunday.

Purdue turned the ball over just seven times. If there's one concern, its' that three of those came in the final minutes that kept Penn State in striking distance.

Michigan: 2022 Big Ten Football Champions

 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donovan Edwards ran for 185 yards and a score, J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Michigan beat Purdue 43-22 on Saturday night for its second straight Big Ten title and a likely No. 2 playoff seed.

College football’s winningest program has the first 13-win season in school history. Two more victories would give the Wolverines (13-0, No. 2 CFP) their first national championship since 1997.

And with injured star Blake Corum sidelined by a season-ending left knee injury, Edwards stole the show for the second straight week.

After shredding rival Ohio State for 216 yards and two scores last week, Edwards broke open this game with a 60-yard on the first play of the second half to set up one score. He added a 27-yard TD sprint on Michigan’s next series to make it 28-13.

Purdue (8-5) never recovered from Michigan’s quick, seven-play onslaught after it trailed 14-13 at halftime.

But quarterback Aidan O’Connell and receiver Charlie Jones helped the Boilermakers make it interesting for a while.

O’Connell was 32 of 47 with 366 yards and two interceptions after missing some practice time early this week to mourn the death of his oldest brother. Jones, who lost to Michigan in last year’s game while playing for Iowa, had 13 receptions for 162 yards.

It just wasn’t enough.

Michigan showed no signs of a hangover after last week’s rout over the Buckeyes, taking a 7-0 lead on its opening possession with a 25-yard TD pass from McCarthy to Colston Loveland.

Purdue answered with Devin Mockobee’s 1-yard scoring run to tie the score then took the lead on Mitchell Fineran’s 33-yard field goal.

Michigan answered by taking advantage of an offside call on fourth-and-6 by going for the first down, picking it up and eventually converting the drive into a 7-yard TD pass from McCarthy to Luke Schoonmaker. They never trailed again.

Edwards big run set up Kalel Mullings’ 1-yard TD plunge before Edwards celebrated his own scoring run.

All Purdue could muster was three more field goals.

McCarthy was 11 of 17 with 161 yards and one interception.

Corum posted a message on Twitter on Saturday morning to say his knee surgery went well.

THE TAKEAWAY

Purdue: The Boilermakers’ magical season ended with a solid showing in the championship game where they played better than most expected. Still, they won the Big Ten’s wild, wild West, both trophy games and should be bound for a warm-weather bowl game.

Michigan: Yes, the Wolverines may have already locked up a top-two seed thanks to losses by Southern Cal and TCU. Michigan now has back-to-back conference crowns for the first time since 2003-04 though the hard part remains — ending its national title drought.

DIALING UP TRICKERY

Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm played one season in the now defunct XFL and has acknowledged that experience helped him understand how to inject personality and creativity into play calling. It was on full display Saturday.

A surprise end around set up Purdue’s first score, a fake punt helped keep its second scoring drive alive and then Mockobee sprinted 25 yards on a fake flea-flicker in the third quarter.

Iowa: 2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Keegan Murray had 19 points and 11 rebounds as No. 24 Iowa beat No. 9 Purdue 75-66 to win its first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2006 and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The sixth-seeded Hawkeyes (26-9) became the fourth team in conference history to claim the title by winning four games in four days. Iowa was also the first school to do it, in 2001, and Michigan repeated the feat in 2017 and 2018.

The Hawkeyes won their first title since 2006, one week after the Iowa women won the Big Ten tourney on the same court.

"We knew this team was destined for greatness," said Murray, who was selected the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "And we changed the direction of the Iowa program today."

Iowa did it with a record-breaking scoring performance and by beating the Boilermakers about a one-hour drive from their campus in West Lafayette. Iowa's 351 points broke Ohio State's tournament record of 322, set last year.

Iowa heads into the NCAA Tournament with nine wins in its last 10 games.

Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Trevion Williams had 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead Purdue (28-7), which failed to capture either the regular-season or tournament title despite spending most of the season as the highest-ranked team in the conference. Purdue hasn't won the Big Ten Tournament since 2009.

It's not as if the Boilermakers didn't have a chance.

But Purdue had nine turnovers, missed four free throws and never led in the first half as the energized Hawkeyes took a 35-32 halftime lead.

With the Purdue-friendly crowd roaring loudly early in the second half, it looked like the Boilermakers would respond when Eric Hunter Jr.'s 3-pointer with 3:13 to play capped a 7-0 run that trimmed the deficit to 63-62.

But Connor McCaffery responded with a three-point play on the ensuing possession. Iowa only allowed four points the rest of the way, closing it out at the line, silencing the crowd and setting off a wild post-game celebration near midcourt.

"It is hard to describe," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "This game is really special, special to me because I get to coach my boys and to see them celebrate with their teammates and celebrate together, there's no better feeling."

Indianapolis native Tony Perkins had 11 points and four assists for the Hawkeyes while Payton Sandfort added 10 points.

"We had a lot of goals and sometimes you have to make changes," Fran McCaffery said. "But this team accepted its roles and we beat a really good team today."

Zach Edey had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Purdue.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: A strong finish — and tourney title — could propel the Hawkeyes to a top-five seed, maybe even a No. 4 seed, and a possible trip to Milwaukee. Regardless of who they play or where they land, one of America's most prolific scoring teams will be a handful.

Purdue: A loss in the championship game could prove costly to the Boilermakers. They could slide from the No. 2 line to the No. 3 line. Will it cost them a second straight bus trip down I-65 to Indianapolis? Maybe. But Purdue needs fewer unforced errors on offense and more production from its 3-point shooters.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Iowa will continue ascending in Monday's rankings, perhaps even cracking the top 15. The bigger question is whether Purdue did enough to extend its record streak of consecutive weeks in the top 10 to 19.

ALL-TOURNEY

Murry and Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon, who banked in the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left to beat Indiana on Saturday, were both selected to the all-tournament team. They were joined by Ivey, Williams and Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana.

UP NEXT

The teams wait to see where they fit in the 68-team field.

------

Illinois: 2021 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

INDIANAPOLIS -- — No. 3 Illinois accomplished one major goal. The next one will be even more difficult.

As the Fighting Illini celebrated their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005 with a 91-88 overtime victory over No. 9 Ohio State on Sunday, they quickly turned the focus to their No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity it presents.

"It was crazy, thinking about all the things we've accomplished and knowing how I came on my visit with coach (Brad) Underwood and I told him these are the things we can accomplish," Ayo Dosunmu said after being named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player. "So to get up there, cut that net down and see that No. 1 seed come up there, it's just an unreal feeling."

Especially given the oddities of this season.

Despite playing the regular season in front of minimal fans, the Illini (23-6) hoisted the trophy underneath the mid-court video board and watched the selection show with a throng of loud, orange-clad fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

It all seemed perfectly aligned for the deep and versatile Illini.

Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbello all scored 16 points. Cockburn and Dosunmu each had nine rebounds and they made the key plays in overtime. Cockburn sank the go-ahead free throws with 1:39 to go, Dosunmu followed that with a back-breaking 15-footer with 50 seconds left to make it 84-81 and Illinois finally sealed it at the free-throw line.

Illinois will start its next quest against 16th-seeded Drexel on Friday, having won seven straight overall and 14 out of 15 with six consecutive wins over top-10 foes.

Duane Washington Jr. had a career-high 32 points and Justice Sueing added 22 as the Buckeyes refused to go away despite the numerous times Illinois appeared to be in control.

Instead of withering in their fourth game in four days and being without forward Kyle Young for the second consecutive game, Ohio State (21-9) continually fought back. Coach Chris Holtmann expected that reaction from his team, which earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"They have that resiliency, they have it, this group has that," he said. "If you've followed us, you know that."

After missing their first nine shots and falling into an early 27-10 deficit, Ohio State got within 40-35 at the half and as close as 47-45 early in the second half. When Illinois answered with a 10-1 run to make it 57-46, the Buckeyes again rallied and even took a 67-65 lead with 5:35 left in regulation.

The Illini answered with seven straight but still couldn't put it away. and Sueing's three-point play with 23.6 seconds left tied the score at 77. Two big defensive plays forced overtime and then Cockburn and Dosunmu delivered, ending one chapter of this season and beginning another.

"It's time to make history," Dosunmu said. "It's time to dig deeper, to focus in a little more, but winning this Big Ten championship is great."

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: They didn't win the title but the fifth-seeded Buckeyes overperformed expectations. They snapped a four-game losing streak by winning three games in three days, beat regular-season league champ Michigan and head into the postseason with lots of momentum.

Illinois: The Illini are big, fast and strong — making them a legitimate national title contender. And after being shut out of the regular-season crown, they were on a mission to earn some hardware in Indy. Now that they have, they want to add a few more to the collection before leaving town.

STAT PACK

Ohio State: C.J. Walker had 16 points, six assists and four rebounds. E.J. Liddell had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. ... Holtmann said he didn't know if Young will play in the NCAAs. He was hit in the head by an inadvertent elbow Friday. ... The Buckeyes fell to 4-1 all-time at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Illinois: Curbello also had six rebounds and five assists and Giorgi Bezhanishvili had 12 points. ... Da'monte Williams made three 3s and finished with 12 points while Trent Frazier had 10. ... Illinois broke the single-season school record with six wins over top-10 teams.

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM

Dosunmu and Cockburn were joined on the all-tournament team by Washington and Liddell from Ohio State and Iowa's Luka Garza, the league's player of the year.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Takes on No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, the Summit League champion, Friday in the South Region.

Illinois: Opens NCAA Tournament play Friday against 16th-seeded Drexel, the Colonial Athletic Association champ.

------

Michigan State: 2018-19 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

CHICAGO -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had one simple question for his team. He got the answer he wanted, and the sixth-ranked Spartans picked up their sixth Big Ten Tournament championship.

Now, they'll try to bring home the biggest prize of all.

Matt McQuaid scored a career-high 27 points, Cassius Winston converted the go-ahead layup in the closing minute, and the Spartans rallied to beat No. 10 Michigan 65-60 in the Big Ten final on Sunday.

Top-seeded Michigan State (28-6) scored the game's final 10 points to capture its first championship since 2016. No other program has won the conference tournament as many times as Michigan State, and this one was particularly sweet.

After all, the Spartans prevented a championship three-peat by Michigan (28-6) and beat their rivals for the third time this season.

"I asked them all today, `What do you want to do?" Izzo said. "Pregame meal, `What do you want to do? You want to play for the (NCAA) Tournament or you want to play the game?' That sounds like a stupid question, but if you knew where my guys were at as far as physically, it was a good question to ask. Once they said `We want to play the game,' I said, `You just gave me a license for 40 minutes of hell, so you better get going because I'm not letting up."

"They responded and I think they enjoyed it," he continued. "So did I."

McQuaid nailed a personal-best seven 3-pointers. Winston, the Big Ten Player of the Year, had 14 points and 11 assists as Michigan State won for the 10th time in 11 games.

"It's always big," McQuaid said. "Michigan's a really good team. Beating them three times ... it's hard to do."

Both teams were awarded No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and will play Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. Michigan State faces Bradley in the East Region, while Michigan goes against Montana in the West. The Wolverines beat Montana last year on the way to the national championship game.

Ignas Brazdeikas led Michigan with 19 points. Jordan Poole scored 13. Jon Teske had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Zavier Simpson added 10 assists.

But the third-seeded Wolverines fell again to Michigan State after blowing their chance to win the league by losing to their rivals twice in the final four regular-season games.

"You lose three times in a season to your rival, it's gonna hurt" Isaiah Livers said. "But we'll use it as motivation for the NCAA Tournament. I'm glad we don't have a week or two weeks to sit there and think about that last game. We can get right back to playing."

Michigan led by 13 early in the second half, but Michigan State went on a 13-4 run to tie it at 48 with just over seven minutes remaining.

The Wolverines were up 60-55 after Livers hit a 3 with 2:29 left, but they didn't score again. McQuaid answered with one of his own to start the game-ending run and Xavier Tillman made a tying layup for Michigan State.

After Simpson missed a 3 for Michigan, Winston drove to his left for a layup -- which Teske thought he blocked -- to put the Spartans on top 62-60 with 28 seconds left.

Brazdeikas then missed a pull-up jumper that got tipped by Aaron Henry with 14 seconds to play. Teske and Tillman went up for the rebound, the ball got knocked out of bounds and the referees gave possession to Michigan State after a review as Michigan coach John Beilein screamed on the sideline.

Henry made a free throw and missed the second, making it a three-point game. Poole then appeared to get bumped by Winston -- Michigan State had a foul to give -- just before he launched a long 3 off the dribble, but there was no call.

The Spartans' Kenny Goins hit two free throws to make it 65-60 with two seconds left.

AHRENS INJURED

Michigan State forward Kyle Ahrens was relieved X-rays showed his left ankle wasn't broken after he was taken from the court on a stretcher in the first half, though the extent of the injury was not clear.

He expects to have an MRI once the softball-sized swelling goes down.

Ahrens landed awkwardly when he collided in midair with Goins going for a defensive rebound with 4:34 left in the first half.

He clutched his lower left leg as he screamed in pain. Medical personnel placed an air cast on his leg and teammates gave him hugs before he was wheeled away, pounding his chest as he was taken to the back. He returned to the sideline on crutches in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines have their sights set on another big NCAA run after losing to Villanova in the championship game last year.

Michigan State: The Spartans head to the tournament with high hopes, though their rotation figures to be a little thinner after Ahrens went down.

UP NEXT

Michigan: NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State: NCAA Tournament.

Michigan: 2017-18 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

NEW YORK –- The man whom teammates sometimes refer to as the "Big Sleep" was wide awake Sunday night at center court in Madison Square Garden. Jon Teske, Michigan's soft-spoken 7-footer, pounded his chest and hollered at a crowd chanting his name after a thunderous dunk that served as the emphatic climax of his team's second consecutive Big Ten tournament championship.

Teske's two-handed finish gave the Wolverines an 18-point lead over Purdue with six minutes to play in the title game. For Teske, it capped a 14-point performance in a 75-66 win for a sophomore who is typically content to linger in the shadows of a team full of burgeoning personalities. For Michigan, it capped a stretch of four wins in four days that removed any doubt that it will enter the NCAA tournament as one of the nation's hottest and most dangerous teams.

Michigan finished fifth in the Big Ten regular-season standings but has lost only once since February began. The Wolverines have nine straight victories, including the last two against the league's top teams -- Purdue and rival Michigan State, the group traditionally known for peaking at this time of year.

Coach John Beilein has made a strong case for Mr. March in the past two years. His teams are 11-2 in the postseason during that time as he adjusts to the skills and personalities that reveal themselves during the course of a season.

"We had all new leadership," Beilein said when comparing this year's tournament champs to the 2017 team. “Players had to step up. I think it wasn't until we got almost to February that our coaching staff just figured out a little bit what we could do and what we could expect."

What Michigan can expect now is energy by the bucketful. And more than any team Beilein has coached in Ann Arbor, that energy has been infectious on both ends of the floor.

Teske's big dunk sent freshman Jordan Poole dancing toward center court to meet him and sophomore Zavier Simpson -- a feisty point guard who has taken the reins of this team in the past month -- flexing close behind them. Moe Wagner, Michigan's more established big man and energy provider, couldn't contain his smile. A few minutes earlier, he had knocked down back-to-back 3s in dramatic fashion to stretch Michigan's lead to double digits and make the final 10 minutes more of a celebration than a stressful race to the finish line.


The Wolverines have lost just once since February began. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Beilein said the mutual trust that has served as the foundation of his team's emerging identity took time to develop this season. With Simpson especially, there was a feeling-out process while the sophomore worked his way from a backup role earlier this season to a driving force for their current run. His defense helped change the dynamic of Saturday's semifinal win against Michigan State. Then he scored 10 points and added five assists (including the pass that unleashed Teske's slam) in the championship game against Purdue.

"We're pretty confident," Simpson said Sunday night. "We've just got to keep playing and keep doing smart things."

The trick for Michigan will be keeping that momentum rolling during an unprecedented break in action. It will be at least 11 days before the Wolverines take the court for their next game, thanks to a conference tournament that played out a week early so it could reserve Madison Square Garden as its stage.

These will be uncharted waters for all four Big Ten teams likely to be playing in the NCAA tournament later this month. While it's a thin group of participants for the conference, all four have the potential to do some damage. Michigan State remains among the country's most talented groups. Purdue can string together wins when its inside-outside attack is taking advantage of both dimensions. Ohio State features one of the country's breakout stars in Keita Bates-Diop. And, of course, Michigan has emerged as sharpest of that group the past week in New York.

"It's going to be kind of weird, but we've got to embrace it," Simpson said when asked how he plans to handle the long layoff. "We'll do the smart things in that time to get better."

A long rest could be a help to some. Beilein was quick to point out that plenty of teams that usually get their conference tournament done early have punched above their weight class in the NCAA tournament in past years. He conceded that it would be nice to keep the good times rolling right now, but he is no position to argue with the benefits of having more time.

"In a perfect world that would be great [to keep playing]," Beilein said. "But playing in this arena in front of that crowd, which I feel like was very pro-Michigan, that's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. I think it'll be worth the wait."

If the past couple of seasons have taught Beilein's teams anything, it should be that patience is often rewarded.