CHICAGO (AP) — Purdue closed the regular season with four losses in six games. It won four games in four days at the Big Ten Tournament.
Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith played a major role in the turnaround. But coach Matt Painter pointed to one area in particular.
“We’re not here and celebrating this tournament championship if we didn’t play better defense the last four days,” Painter said.
Cluff scored 21 points and Kaufman-Renn had 20, leading the way as No. 18 Purdue knocked off No. 3 Michigan 80-72 on Sunday in the Big Ten final.
Smith had 14 points, 11 assists and three steals for the Boilermakers (27-8), who limited the high-scoring Wolverines to 34 points in the second half. Fletcher Loyer made three 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.
Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2023 and third time overall. It lost to Michigan in the final in 1998 and 2018.
The Boilermakers received a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament. They will play Queens on Friday in the first round of the West Region.
“Our guys are doing great,” Painter said. “We’re playing well at the right time.”
Yaxel Lendeborg scored 20 points for top-seeded Michigan (31-3), which beat Purdue 91-80 in their regular-season meeting on Feb. 17. Aday Mara had 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
The loss seemingly had no effect on the Wolverines' road for the NCAA tourney. They were awarded the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and a Thursday matchup with the winner of the UMBC-Howard game in the First Four.
“We know the month that we have ahead,” Mara said. “We’ve just got to be ready, be better, and feel this right now because it doesn’t feel good, and use it to be better in the tournament.”
Wearing No. 41 after he ripped his No. 3 jersey in frustration early in the game, Smith helped the Boilermakers seize control by deftly running the pick-and-roll with Kaufman-Renn in the second half. The senior point guard has 1,075 career assists, just one shy of Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record.
Smith attributed the effectiveness of the pick-and-roll with Kaufman-Renn to their summer work together.
“We just clicked,” Smith said. “Obviously he trusts me to get it to him, and I trust him to catch it and then obviously go make a play or make passes or score out of it.”
Two jumpers by Kaufman-Renn off passes from Smith powered Purdue to a 55-44 lead with 12:55 left. After Elliot Cadeau scored for Michigan, the 6-foot Smith drove inside, drew a foul on the 7-3 Mara and scored, drawing a big cheer from the Purdue fans in the crowd at the United Center.
Smith celebrated by pounding his chest as he walked toward a rollicking Purdue bench. He made the ensuing free throw for a 58-46 lead with 12:06 to go.
“I thought Braden never wore down,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “Obviously you could tell he was fatigued, but it didn’t faze him. He just has that much mental strength and capacity.”
Purdue made nine of its first 11 shots in the second half. The Boilermakers shot 15 for 26 in the second half overall.
Cluff had nine points and three fouls at halftime. But he managed to stay in the game all the way to the very end, committing one foul while playing 12 minutes after the break.
“It was just like staying focused, making sure I got my hands out of there and wasn’t doing anything stupid or silly that you could pick up a random foul,” Cluff said.
Cadeau finished with 10 points and 10 assists for Michigan, which won the Big Ten tourney in 2025. Playing in his hometown, Nimari Burnett scored 12 points.
“They earned it,” May said. “Obviously we weren’t at our best, but obviously Purdue has something to do with that.”
Purdue used a 12-2 run to take a 38-34 lead late in the first half. But Cadeau found Mara for an alley-oop dunk and converted a tying layup in the final seconds.
Purdue has been a top-four seed in its last nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
Michigan is a No. 1 seed for the fourth time in program history. With two more wins, it would return to the United Center for the Sweet 16.
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Purdue center Oscar Cluff (45) dunks past Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
