Purdue basketball can't overcome big first-half run in loss to No. 1 Michigan
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue men’s basketball joined the club of accomplished and talented teams who could not slow down No. 1 Michigan’s match toward a Big Ten championship.
The Boilermakers couldn’t escape a big first-half hole in a 91-80 loss Tuesday at Mackey Arena. The Wolverines (25-1) improved to 15-1 in league play with four games remaining. Purdue (21-5), at 11-4, remains mathematically alive in the race but realistically playing for its NCAA tournament seed from here on in.
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 27 points (12 of 26) and 12 rebounds. Elliot Cadeau led Michigan with 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball's loss vs No. 1 Michigan
Braden Smith went scoreless in the first half for a second straight game, though he did tally five assists. Seemed like coach Matt Painter sat him for a couple of extra minutes. Omer Mayer used that opportunity to make a couple of 3s and add a nice finger-roll layup. He was a spark when the offense had next to none.
∎ Purdue kept its turnovers in a manageable range in the first half, committing only three and not getting into live-ball run-out situations. It went into halftime up 8-5 in points off turnovers, actually, and emphatically won that stat for the night, 22-12.
∎ Smith surged back with a 20-point second half, filling a major scoring vacuum. The bigger factor was Michigan flipping the usual script Purdue works off of and dominating bench scoring. C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and Jack Benter all went scoreless into the final 4:09, and Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen combined for six points.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball's loss vs. No. 1 Michigan
Facilitating post touches set up as a critical component of Purdue’s offensive success against what some metrics consider the nation’s best defense. It accomplished the first part but couldn’t complete the mission. The Boilers missed a lot of close looks in the first half, which could have helped equalize some of Michigan’s success on the offensive boards.
Kaufman-Renn scored 14 first-half points but needed 15 field goal attempts to do it. Purdue made only 4 of 9 layups in the first half and did not manage a single pick-and-roll or lob dunk to Jacobsen, Cluff or anyone else.
When that dynamic improved in the second half, the Boilers could not string together enough stops to make it matter.
∎ Michigan outscored Purdue 14-4 on the offensive boards in the first half and led by 16 at the break. It scored the game’s first 11 second-chance points. On two occasions, it used a three-shot possession to make a 3-pointer. The Wolverines used a combination of heady tip-outs and hustle to loose balls to complement their already potent offense.
Purdue did not allow a second-chance point until late in the second half. It also did not put together a run longer than 6-0. Had it shut that faucet off earlier, playing even in the second half might have mattered.
∎ One of Purdue’s big advantages could have been its home crowd. Mackey’s usual sellout dressed up for a “Black Out.” But the 20-point lead the Wolverines opened up in the first half sucked a lot of oxygen out of the building. The Boilermakers tried to make some runs to reclaim that energy and volume in the second half, but it couldn’t sustain them.
What Purdue basketball's loss vs. No. 1 Michigan means
Even if Purdue wins out, it may not be able to get back into the Big Ten championship conversation – even sharing the title. Playing Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State once apiece and getting all three at home was supposed to be a major advantage. Both Illinois and Michigan have spoiled that math, and the Spartans come to town next week.
Not many teams have compiled better resumes and overall performance metrics than the Boilers this season. Three who can make that argument – and in Michigan’s case there is no argument – are 3-0 on Keady Court this season.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Michigan Purdue basketball score today, game stats, Big Ten record, rankings
Josh Elander recaps Blaine Brown's pitching debut for Tennessee
No. 15 Tennessee (4-0) won its fourth game in 2026 under first-year head coach Josh Elander. The Vols defeated UNC Asheville (2-3), 10-3, on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Rice transfer Blaine Brown made his pitching debut for Tennessee. He started the first three games in left field.
On Tuesday, Brown started as a pitcher and batter. He recorded three strikeouts and 16 pitches, including 10 strikes, against three batters in one inning. Brown did not allow a hit, run or walk.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore went 1-for-5. He totaled one double, one RBI, one strikeout and left one runner on base.
Elander recapped Brown's pitching performance after the game.
“I thought he was really, really good today attacking the strikes,” Elander said. “Threw a couple good changeups, good sliders too. We’ll continue to lengthen him out, but he's such a special talent. You got to be kind of delicate about how you attack it with him."
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Breaking down Blaine Brown's pitching debut with Tennessee baseball
Borussia lead 2-0 ahead of second leg in Bergamo
Personnel matters:Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Filippo Mane were unavailable due to injury or illness, leaving head coach Niko Kovac without four centre-backs. He put his faith in youngster Luca Reggiani, 18 years of age, who started for the first time after a brief appearance in Wolfsburg and then 45 minutes against Mainz. Reggiani replacing Süle was the only change to the starting line-up from the weekend
The match:The match kicked off 15 minutes late because the BVB bus was stuck in traffic. The team started brightly. Nmecha, who was very active on the left wing and picked up the ball there, was sent through with a through ball, his first cross was blocked, but the second landed on the right with Ryerson, who picked up where he left off on Friday: the Norwegian crossed precisely into the box, where Guirassy rose high and headed the ball into the far corner (3).
Borussia set the pace for the first quarter of an hour, then Atalanta found their way into the game and had two dangerous chances. In the 21st minute, Svensson made a crucial tackle on Pasalic, who was bearing down on goal. But it was the home team who dominated the final stages of the first half. Nmecha played a long ball to Guirassy, who took the ball down and drove into the penalty area from the left before squaring it to Beier, who slotted home to make it 2-0 (42).
Borussia approached the second half in a measured and focused manner, sprinkling in the occasional attacking move, such as the one shortly after the restart when Brandt played in Guirassy, who fell to the ground in a duel with Kossounou. However, the referee felt this was not enough to award a penalty.
Brandt shot just over the bar after a corner was cleared (67) – at a stage when the opposition were pushing forward. But Dortmund's defence stood firm. Reggiani's composed performance was particularly noteworthy. Despite winning the ball back numerous times, the Black & Yellows were unable to create any dangerous counter-attacking opportunities.
Outlook:The second leg will take place on Wednesday next week. Before that, BVB will be away to Leipzig (Saturday, 18:30 CET).
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2–0 (2-0) ATALANTA
Playoffs for the knockout stage, first leg
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha (82, Sabitzer), Svensson – Brandt (70, Chukwuemeka) – Beier (70, Adeyemi), Guirassy (82, Fabio Silva)Substitutes: Meyer, Ostrzinski; Özcan, Kabar, Inacio, Couto, Krevsun, Benkara
Michigan basketball thunders through Purdue on the road
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – In the matchup between No. 1 Michigan basketball and No. 7 Purdue, it was the visitors who delivered the impression of a freight train early in an 91-80 victory on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The Wolverines ripped off a 16-0 run to turn a February Big Ten slog into a runaway for U-M midway through the first half at a practically vibrating Mackey Arena.
Nine Wolverines scored in the first half as Michigan stretched its lead as far as 20 points before bringing it into the halftime station leading, 48-32.
Elliott Cadeau led the Wolverines with 17 points – including eight of U-M's first 10 points in the second half – while Aday Mara added 10 points and 12 rebounds and Yaxel Lendeborg had 13 points and seven assists.
Big Ten tournament picture
The win by the Wolverines (25-1, 15-1) extends U-M’s lead in the Big Ten to 2½ games over Illinois (12-3) and three games over Nebraska (11-3). The Cornhuskers played late Tuesday night at Iowa, while the Illini visit USC on Wednesday night. Michigan has four games remaining in league play and could clinch its first regular-season title since 2021 with victories in its next two Big Ten contests.
Next up for Michigan basketball
But first, the Wolverines have to deal with No. 3 Duke in a neutral-site nonconference matchup in Washington on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN). The winner at Capital One Arena this weekend could have the inside track for the No. 1 overall seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. After the Blue Devils, the Wolverines return to Big Ten play again Minnesota at Crisler Center on Tuesday (8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).
Maize and (deep) blue
The Wolverines started slow, making just one of their first six shots (including misses on four 3-point tries) to fall behind, 5-0, just over three minutes in. And after that, it was all U-M; Aday Mara got the Wolverines on the scoreboard with a dunk, and after a pair of 3-point misses, U-M ripped off a 24-5 run to take command.
That included a scorching performance beyond the arc; after missing their first four 3s, the Wolverines sank eight of 12, with seven players contributing at least one long ball. The lone exception? Lendeborg, who went 2-for-5 from outside, en route to 10 first-half points. That tied him for U-M’s top scorer with Mara, who hit all four of his shots from the field and added eight rebounds.
Perhaps the only problem for Michigan was, surprisingly, in the paint, as the Boilermakers topped the Wolverines there, 18-14. But with U-M winning the rebounding battle, 21-14, and getting 14 second-chance points to Purdue’s four, the Boilermakers simply couldn’t keep up in a 16-point game at the half.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball shows why it's No. 1 with pounding of Purdue