Third-ranked Michigan capped off a historic Big Ten season with a 90-80 victory over eighth-ranked Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at home in Ann Arbor. The win gave the Wolverines a season sweep of their in-state rivals.
Yaxel Lendeborg led all scorers with 27 points for Michigan (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten), while Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 18 points and seven rebounds. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 15 points and Trey McKenney chipped in 12 points coming off the bench. The victory secured Michigan’s best conference record since Indiana went undefeated in Big Ten play during the 1975-76 season.
Michigan State (25-6, 15-5) was paced by Jaxon Kohler’s 23 points and eight rebounds, while Jeremy Fears Jr. contributed 22 points and nine assists. The Spartans will enter this week’s Big Ten tournament in Chicago as the third seed.
The heated rivalry matchup featured three technical fouls within the first 10 minutes of play. Officials issued a technical to Fears at the 14:24 mark after replay showed he used his leg to strike Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau following a foul call. Michigan’s Aday Mara received a technical just over a minute later for pushing Carson Cooper (19 points) from behind. McKenney drew the third technical with 10:44 remaining after knocking the ball from Kohler’s hands during an inbound attempt following his breakaway score.
In other Top 25 action, ninth-ranked Nebraska defeated Iowa 84-75 in overtime to tie the program record for wins in a season at 26-5. The Cornhuskers secured the second seed in the Big Ten tournament after finishing the game with a 9-0 run in the extra period.
Eleventh-ranked Illinois topped Maryland 78-72 in College Park, with David Mirkovic recording 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Fighting Illini earned a top-four seed in the conference tournament with the victory.
