ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten has a new team atop the standings: Michigan, which claimed the top spot with a 75-73 victory against No. 7 Purdue on Tuesday night.
The 20th-ranked Wolverines (19-5, 11-2 Big Ten) avenged a 27-point loss last month at Purdue’s Mackey Arena and moved a half-game ahead of the Boilermakers in the conference standings. The victory, Michigan’s biggest yet under first-year coach Dusty May, could set up another first-place showdown next week against Michigan State, which began the day tied with the Wolverines at 10-2 in league play.
“We’ve got some tough games in front of us, but this is exciting to be in mid-February, playing extremely meaningful games, competing for a championship with programs, coaches and players that are at the top of college basketball,” May said.
After falling behind by double digits in the second half, Michigan rallied to take the lead over the final six minutes and went up 73-67 on a put-back dunk by Rubin Jones with 39 seconds to play. Braden Smith hit two late 3-pointers to give Purdue a chance but couldn’t connect on a shot at the buzzer.
Smith had 24 points for the Boilermakers, who fell to 19-6 and 11-3 in the Big Ten. Danny Wolf led the Wolverines with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 14. Center Vladislav Goldin, who played for May at Florida Atlantic, finished with 12 points after scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in the first half.
“Vlad and I, we go way, way back,” May said. “There’s times when Vlad doesn’t like me and I don’t like him, but the love is real. We both are fighting for the same thing, and that’s to compete for championships.”
Knocking off last season’s national runner-up was another résumé-building win for the Wolverines, who are in line to be one of the Big Ten’s top NCAA Tournament seeds a year after finishing 8-24 and 3-17 in league play. The Wolverines are 12-0 at home under May, who replaced Juwan Howard as Michigan’s coach after seven seasons at FAU.
Michigan’s victory tightened a three-team knot atop the Big Ten standings and added to a dramatic stretch of the Big Ten schedule. Michigan State plays Purdue at home next Tuesday, then plays at Michigan three days later. There’s a long way to go, but Michigan’s rise to first place is a welcome change after last season’s last-place finish.
“They’re not giving out championship trophies Feb 12, or whatever it is tomorrow,” May said. “I’m proud that our guys are still improving collectively and individually.”
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(Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
