But they looked every bit of the best team in the country on Tuesday at Mackey Arena, comprehensively dispatching No. 7 Purdue, 91-80. Michigan led for the final 33 minutes and its lead expanded to as many as 20 points late in the first half. "We needed to deliver a lot of punches, whether it was the first or second," coach Dusty May said. "We knew this was going to go all 10 [rounds]. If we took a shot, we knew we had to respond and our guys did that over the course of the game. That was impressive the way they answered those runs with really sound play."
Purdue has a +323 scoring differential, topping opponents by 14.6 points per game. It is putting up 83.6 points per game to rank 45th in college basketball and is giving up 69 per contest to rank 66th in college basketball. Purdue is 98th in college basketball at 33.9 rebounds per game. That's 7.2 more than the 26.7 its opponents average.
Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 46 points, making nine 3-pointers, as No. 11 Illinois defeated No. 4 Purdue 88-82 on Saturday. Wagler, a freshman guard, shot 13 for 17 overall, 9 of 11 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 on free throws. David Mirkovic added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten). Braden Smith led the Boilermakers (17-3, 7-2) with 27 points and 12 assists.
The Wildcats received 33 of 60 first-place votes from a national media panel to claim No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, and only the third time since the 2013-14 season. They edged No. 2 Michigan, which earned 19 first-place votes, thanks in part to wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, along with their 97-68 romp over the then-No. 20 Tigers on Saturday night.
BRADEN SMITH IS SHORT. Not while he walks around Purdue's campus, of course -- he's listed, perhaps generously, at 6 feet. But as a potential NBA prospect? Purdue's leading point guard is short. He knows it, his opponents know it and NBA scouts know it. He was undersized as an unranked high school recruit whose most likely destination until the Boilermakers extended a scholarship offer was Belmont.
