After Arizona stumbled twice a week ago, Michigan basketball is back in the top spot of the AP poll with just one loss on the season. Over the course of the year, Michigan has racked up a heavy number of impressive victories, and it added to that with one of its best yet on Tuesday night.
The Wolverines came into Tuesday's game against No. 7 Purdue as a slight favorite, but they quickly showed why they are the class of the nation at the moment. May's squad utilized a massive first-half run to build a double-digit lead and never looked back, coasting to a convincing 91-80 win at Mackey Arena.
After the game, May talked about the one thing that impressed him the most from the big road win, via Zach Shaw of 247 Sports.
“Dusty May says Michigan’s poise at Mackey Arena was ‘incredibly impressive,'” Shaw wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Notes that he felt all nine rotation players were ‘up for the challenge.'”
Michigan is now 25-1 on the season despite playing a very difficult schedule, becoming the first Big Ten team to reach that mark since Ohio State all the way back in 2011, via Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
As it has all season long, Michigan was getting it done with its size and depth throughout this one. From the start, the combination of Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg gave the Purdue front court fits. The Wolverines finished the night with seven scorers in double figures, led by Eliot Cadeau with 17.
This win will not only cement Michigan's spot at the top of the media polls, but the Wolverines are still firmly in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament with this result as well.
However, the tests don't stop on this gauntlet of a Michigan schedule. On Saturday, May will take his team to Washington D.C. to take on No. 3 Duke in a neutral-site game out of conference play, where a win would cement Michigan even more strongly at the top. At the end of the month, the Wolverines have a stiff road test against No. 10 Illinois as they get ready for the postseason.
