It is now down to the final two as the Big Ten Tournament reaches its climax as the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines take on the No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers for a secured spot in the NCAA National Championship Tournament, also known as March Madness. This happens right before Selection Sunday, so the outcome does have a lot of NCAA Tournament consequences.
The Wolverines are fresh off beating the No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers, which gave Michigan the fight of their lives. Meanwhile, Purdue demolished the shorthanded UCLA Bruins to reach the final. Should Michigan win, the Wolverines would secure their No. 1 seed coming into the NCAA Tournament. But if Purdue wins, the Wolverines may slide down to a No. 2 seed, while the Boilermakers go up.
Michigan vs. Purdue Men’s Basketball Projected Starting Lineups
Michigan Wolverines
- F Yaxel Lendeborg
- F Morez Johnson Jr.
- C Aday Mara
- G Elliot Cadeau
- G Nimari Burnett
Purdue Boilermakers
- F Trey Kaufman-Renn
- C Oscar Cluff
- G C.J. Cox
- G Braden Smith
- G Fletcher Loyer
Michigan has a scary frontline with players who put up double-doubles on the regular like Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, but Purdue’s star center, Oscar Cluff, could give them a challenge in the paint after his double-double performance against the Bruins of 17 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
The rebound battle between Mara and Cluff could be interesting down the middle.
Michigan vs. Purdue Men’s Basketball Injury Report
Michigan Wolverines
- L.J. Cason: Out for season (torn ACL)
- Winters Grady: Out for season (fractured foot)
Purdue Boilermakers
- No injuries reported, all players will be available
Two promising players are sitting out for Michigan, including five-star freshman Winters Grady, who is seen as the future backcourt general for the Wolverines, after suffering a fracture on his foot and could be back by spring next year. LJ Cason will also be out after tearing his ACL, and those usually take a long time to fix.
Michigan vs. Purdue Men’s Basketball Prediction
While Wisconsin did give Michigan a lot of trouble, the Wolverines showed their grit. As for Purdue, it defeated a battered UCLA squad which is missing its top scorer and rebounder. The Wolverines have been unstoppable so far, and the result is clear, as this game should end up with a Michigan win.
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