For over two hours, Mackey Arena was dying to erupt. It was easy for the 14,876 fans to settle on villains — any whistle against Purdue was met with uproar, Yaxel Lendeborg was boo’d and taunted — but they could never find something to celebrate.
For a tenuous few moments, it felt like there might be a chance for an explosion, but Michigan held the game in check. The opening moments were skittish, yet only resulted in a 5-0 Purdue lead. That wasn’t anywhere near enough against this team.
Then the Wolverines came alive with a 21-4 run, and the building was quiet. For the next 30 minutes, it could only muster hopeful cheers. Michigan led by double-digits for nearly the entirety of the contest, save for a couple of late Purdue baskets, and walked out of a silent, and already emptying Mackey Arena with a 91-80 road win and a chokehold on the Big Ten title race.
It was a great win, but it wasn’t a great game. It was Michigan’s throughout. The Wolverines spent 40 minutes proving that they were the tougher, deeper, more poised and more physical team — something they’ve proven to college basketball since November.
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