The Wolverines demonstrated why they earned the top spot in college basketball by overwhelming seventh-ranked Purdue 91-80 on Tuesday night in West Lafayette, Indiana. Elliot Cadeau spearheaded Michigan’s well-rounded offensive effort, contributing 17 points and seven assists.
Michigan (25-1, 15-1 Big Ten) maintained a comfortable double-digit advantage throughout most of the contest, marking their first appearance as the nation’s premier team since 2013. The victory extended their winning streak to 11 games.
The Wolverines received significant contributions across their roster. Yaxel Lendeborg delivered 13 points and seven assists, while both L.J. Cason and Trey McKenney chipped in 13 points each. Morez Johnson Jr. provided 12 points and hauled in 11 rebounds, and Aday Mara recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Purdue (21-5, 11-4) fought back behind Trey Kaufman-Renn’s impressive 27-point, 12-rebound performance. Braden Smith contributed 20 points and six assists, while Fletcher Loyer added 11 points for the Boilermakers.
Iowa 57, No. 9 Nebraska 52
The Hawkeyes delivered a crucial upset victory over the Cornhuskers in Iowa City, significantly boosting their March Madness aspirations. Bennett Stirtz paced all scorers with 25 points in the triumph.
Cooper Koch provided 10 additional points for Iowa (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten), which overcame poor shooting at 33.3% from the field to secure their first victory against a ranked opponent since February 2024.
Former Hawkeye Pryce Sandfort managed 13 points in his return to his former home court for Nebraska (22-4, 11-4). The Cornhuskers have now suffered four defeats in their last six outings.
No. 12 Florida 76, South Carolina 62
The Gators maintained their position atop the Southeastern Conference standings with a convincing victory over the Gamecocks in Gainesville. Alex Condon registered 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Rueben Chinyelu dominated the boards with 17 rebounds to go with 15 points.
Florida (20-6, 11-2 SEC) controlled the game from the early moments, never surrendering the lead after the first two minutes. The victory marked their sixth consecutive win. Thomas Haugh contributed 10 points and Micah Handlogten grabbed nine rebounds as the Gators outrebounded their opponents 47-30.
South Carolina (11-15, 2-11) received 22 points and three steals from Meechie Johnson, but dropped their seventh straight contest. Elijah Strong added 10 points, though the Gamecocks struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 4 of 19 three-point attempts.
No. 15 Michigan State 82, UCLA 59
The Spartans bounced back from recent struggles with a dominant performance against the Bruins in East Lansing. Jeremy Fears Jr. recorded 16 points and 10 assists, while Coen Carr matched that scoring output.
Carson Cooper provided 12 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Scott added 11 points for Michigan State (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten). Jaxon Kohler contributed nine points and 10 rebounds as the Spartans snapped a troubling stretch where they had lost three of four games.
UCLA (17-9, 9-6) got 22 points from Tyler Bilodeau and 12 bench points from Skyy Clark. The Bruins concluded a difficult road trip, losing by an average margin of 26.5 points in games against both Michigan schools.
NC State 82, No. 16 North Carolina 58
The Wolfpack delivered a stunning upset victory over their in-state rivals in Raleigh, powered by Quadir Copeland’s 20-point performance. Copeland also recorded six rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the comprehensive victory.
Matt Able knocked down five three-pointers en route to 19 points, while Darrion Williams added 13 points for NC State (19-8, 10-4 ACC). Paul McNeil scored 10 points and former Tar Heel Ven-Allen Lubin tallied 12 points and six rebounds against his former squad. The victory marked first-year coach Will Wade’s initial triumph in the storied rivalry.
North Carolina (20-6, 8-5) played without key contributors Caleb Wilson (hand injury) and Henri Veesaar (lower body injury). Zayden High led the Tar Heels with 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late, while Jarin Stevenson contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.
Rhode Island 81, No. 18 Saint Louis 76
Jonah Hinton erupted for a career-best 29 points, draining nine three-pointers, to lead the Rams to a major upset in Atlantic 10 action in Kingston. The victory snapped Saint Louis’s impressive 18-game winning streak.
Myles Corey added 15 points and converted all 11 of his free throw attempts for Rhode Island (15-11, 6-7 A-10). Tyler Cochran chipped in 11 points as the Rams defeated their first ranked opponent since November 2017.
Saint Louis (24-2, 12-1) received 21 points from Robbie Avila, 19 from Dion Brown, and 10 points, five rebounds and five assists from Amari McCottry. However, the Billikens committed 18 turnovers that resulted in 28 Rhode Island points.
SMU 95, No. 21 Louisville 85
The Mustangs outlasted the Cardinals in a high-scoring affair featuring the ACC’s top two offensive units. Jaron Pierre Jr. led SMU with 25 points and seven rebounds, scoring 13 of those points after halftime.
The contest featured 16 ties and 17 lead changes in a back-and-forth battle. Boopie Miller finished with 23 points and nine assists for SMU (18-8, 7-6 ACC).
Louisville (19-7, 8-5) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, surrendering 90-plus points for the first time this season. Mikel Brown Jr. paced the Cardinals with 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting but committed a season-high seven turnovers, five coming in the second half when Louisville turned the ball over 12 times.
No. 22 Miami (Ohio) 86, Massachusetts 77
The RedHawks preserved their perfect season with a victory over the Minutemen in Mid-American Conference play in Amherst. Peter Suder led all scorers with 23 points for Miami.
Luke Skaljac contributed 16 points for Miami (26-0, 13-0 MAC), which remains the only undefeated team in Division I basketball. The RedHawks connected on 26 of 52 field goal attempts, maintaining their season-long shooting efficiency.
UMass (15-12, 6-8 MAC) received a career-high 19 points from Isaiah Placide, who made five of seven attempts from three-point range.
Ohio State 86, No. 24 Wisconsin 69
The Buckeyes secured a crucial victory for their tournament hopes, led by Bruce Thornton’s explosive second-half performance. Thornton scored 24 of his 27 points after intermission in Columbus.
Devin Royal posted a season-high 25 points and Amare Bynum added 13 for Ohio State (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten). The Buckeyes led by 12 at halftime and controlled the final 20 minutes, trailing for just 44 seconds total.
Wisconsin (18-8, 10-5) got 20 points from Braeden Carrington, who connected on five second-half three-pointers. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell each contributed 14 points for the Badgers.
