CHICAGO — Sunday’s win over a historic Michigan team was a reminder that the Big Ten tournament is difficult to predict NCAA tournament success.
“We thought it was pretty cool to win the championship our freshman year, but then obviously we lost to the No. 16 seed,” said Fletcher Loyer, Purdue’s all-time leading 3-point shooter.
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It’s as obvious as it is memorable.
Five days after hoisting Big Ten hardware, the Boilermakers became the second men’s team in 2023 March Madness to fall to a No. 16 seed. Fairleigh Dickinson was David and Purdue was Goliath. With no player taller than 6-foot-6 on the court, FDU defeated Purdue and its giant Zach Edey, the consensus national player of the year at 7-foot-3.
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That jaw-dropping defeat left a mark that is scarred to this day. Loyer, who gained the distance and perspective from it during a productive four-year career, reflected in the locker room as he processed his second Big Ten tournament title.
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Wearing a championship hat sideways and a cut-out piece of net hanging from his placid eyes, he admitted that the Boilermakers “don’t care at all” about the conference tournament after a crushing loss to FDU the year before.
“We win the regular season and that’s what we want to do, but ultimately we want to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, again, we didn’t expect that at all. We’re ready for the NCAA Tournament,” he said.
“But we didn’t have the regular season that we wanted to have this year and the young guys didn’t win the Big Ten, so our main goal is to come here and win,” the senior guard added.
In four days, Purdue went from being a seventh seed in the Big Ten Tournament to being a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers use the Big Ten Tournament as a rallying cry.
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Michigan State lost its second straight title in this tournament and will now use that as motivation.
“This will definitely motivate us to make sure we don’t fail again”
The Big Ten Conference is a challenge, today more than ever. The league has 18 teams, half of which will be at the dance, and there is a lot of talent in the league.
It’s also known for its physicality, which Michigan State has embodied this season. The Wolverines feature 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year, 7-foot-3 Aday Mara, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and 6-foot-9 Morez Johnson Jr., who is also a top-three scorer on a 31-3 team that has dominated most conference games.
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In fact, they have posted double-digit wins against 14 different Big Ten opponents this season. They joined Bob Knight’s undefeated Indiana team in 1975-76 as the only teams in league history to win all Big Ten road games.
Michigan State went 19-1 in conference play, setting a Big Ten single-season record for wins. The Maize and Blue teams ended the regular season on a 15-game winning streak.
However, in each of the Wolverines’ three conference championship games, they have looked vulnerable. With five minutes left in the quarterfinals, rival Ohio State held a narrow lead over Michigan. In the semifinals against Wisconsin, the Wolverines needed a 3-pointer from Lundborg to break overtime and punch their ticket to the finals.
Big Ten Coach of the Year Dusty May and Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg watch the loss to Purdue in the conference tournament finals on March 15 at the United Center in Chicago. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Michael Reeves via Getty Images)
With the championship on the line, Purdue gave Michigan a taste of its own medicine. The Wolverines avenged a midseason loss with a 16-0 first-half run, and the Boilermakers outscored Michigan 22-8 early in the second half to capture their second conference championship in four years.
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“It kind of humbles us and just shows us that we’re not untouchable and people can play with us,” Michigan point guard Elliott Caddo said after the game, noting his takeaways from the past three days in Chicago.
“People can force a possession game. People can beat us by almost double digits as long as we step up and play harder.”
Purdue was as physical as or better than Michigan in a game on Sunday, but Lundborg injured his left ankle. He said he would be fine.
What he emphasized in the locker room was that his Wolverines needed to do a better job of setting the tone, especially in the second half. That’s when veteran Boilermakers point guard Brayden Smith penetrated the Michigan defense with a pocket pass, setting up forward Trey Kaufman-Wren for multiple throws.
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Caddo and Lundenburg just suffered their third loss against the Wolverines. Both joined the program last year, Caddo from North Carolina and Lundenburg from the University of Alabama.
“We’re not used to this,” the ever-transparent Lundenburg said of the 2025-26 Wolverines.
“It’s something that none of us enjoy. So it definitely motivates us to make sure we don’t fail again and to realize and reflect on why we failed.”
Can Michigan still win it all?
Roddy Gayle Jr. begins the final year of his career at Ohio State and has embraced a backup role as part of Michigan’s supporting cast.
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He knows the Big Ten inside out. When asked why Michigan hasn’t been dominant as of late, he explained that other teams in the league naturally adapt to their systems and the tendencies of their conference opponents.
Additionally, Gayle acknowledged that missing sophomore guard L.J. Carson is hurt. Gayle said Carson, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear on Feb. 27 against Illinois, “was able to give us a chance” on offense.
Gayle emphasized the importance of ball movement from here on out, as well as rebounding efficiency and the way the Wolverines defended early in the year.
They still rank first in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, but it’s worth noting that they’ve allowed just 7.9 turnovers per game since early February. For reference, Michigan’s opponents were giving up the ball 12.2 times per game before this.
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However, their size, and especially the rim protection Mara offers, will always wreak havoc.
“The way they play defense is different than any defense I’ve ever seen in this country,” Purdue’s Loyer said Sunday. “It’s their ability to cause problems and go on big moves that makes them so special.”
Big Ten Coach of the Year Dusty May spoke to reporters at the United Center after a loss to the Boilermakers and a tryout that showed Michigan State remains the top seed in the Midwest Region.
May spoke of his team overcoming defeat and getting back to their best. Michigan will have to stay the course if it wants to become the first Big Ten men’s basketball team to win a national title since Tom Izzo’s Michigan State in 2000.
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“Coach May was always a ‘what’s next’ kind of guy,” Gayle said.
Fortunately for the Wolverines, what follows will be a quadrant with no other Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament.
May led the Wolverines to the Sweet 16 after winning last year’s Big Ten Tournament. He told Detroit’s 94.7 WCSX on Monday that he believes it will be easier to create traffic in March Madness than in the Big Ten.
“There’s usually a lot more freedom of movement,” said May, who became a household name after leading Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023.
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“Look, Big Ten teams, we know each other very well. We know what each other is going to do. So these are the teams that can put you in quicksand with advantages. We’re optimistic that things will loosen up a little bit in the tournament. We’ll be able to find a better process, just like we did this year before the conference.”
That “pregame” period included a series of blowout wins, including a 40-point victory over Gonzaga, now the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and 40- and 30-point wins over eventual bubble-bound teams San Diego State and Auburn.
“Basketball season is not a chart,” May told reporters on Sunday. “Where was Purdue four days ago? Where are they today?”
The Big Ten tournament could serve as a springboard. It can also be a false indicator. This is the result of the team. In that way, Michigan’s setback against Purdue may have been a blessing in disguise.