Michigan Beats Purdue To Win 2nd Straight Big Ten Tournament Title
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Moritz Wagner #13 of the Michigan Wolverines is congratulated by his teammate Duncan Robinson #22 against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional Final at Staples Center on March 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Michigan Wolverines are on top of the Big Ten for the second-straight year.
One year after emerging from the 8-9 game to win the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines have cut down the nets again. The fifth-seeded Maize and Blue just beat No. 3 seed Purdue 75-66 at Madison Square Garden.
This was Michigan's fourth win in as many days. They beat 12th-seeded Iowa on Thursday, fourth-seeded Nebraska on Friday and top-seeded Michigan State yesterday to get to this point.
The Wolverines were paced by a pair of big men. Mo Wagner scored a team-high 17 points while reserve Jon Teske added 14. Additionally, both made Purdue big man Isaac Haas work tremendously hard for his 23 points.
Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman also buried a trio of three-pointers and scored 15 points for Michigan.
With the win, Michigan joins Iowa and Illinois as two-time Big Ten Tournament champs. They are the first back-to-back conference champions since Ohio State in 2010 and 2011.
Michigan will have to wait a week to see where it is seeded in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines will likely wind up as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, though a No. 2 seed could still be in play.
Last year, Michigan rode its miracle run in the Big Ten tourney to a Sweet 16 appearance. We'll see if they can go beyond that point this season.
