At the Buzzer: Michigan 84, Illinois 70

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URBANA-CHAMPAIGN — Rapid reactions to Michigan’s 84-70 win over Illinois to clinch the outright Big Ten Championship.

THE MOMENT

Going into Friday night’s top-10 matchup between the No. 3 Michigan men’s basketball team and No. 10 Illinois, the Fighting Illini had allowed just six runs of 10-0 or more on the season. Finishing up around the 10-minute mark in the first half, the Wolverines had completed an 11-0 run that took it from down 16-11 to up 22-16, and Michigan never looked back.

On a night where both an outright Big Ten regular-season title was on the line and with sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr.’s return home, it was Johnson who nailed a 3-pointer that quieted the boos anytime he touched the ball.

There were points throughout the game where Illinois would close the gap, but Michigan always had a response — and the early 11-0 was all the Wolverines needed to separate themselves until mounting a second-half 16-2 run to seal the deal.

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois played the same offensive scheme it has all season. The Illini utilized high-ball screens to create mismatches, attempting to put junior center Aday Mara on players like guards Keaton Wagler or Kylan Boswell. Illinois also ranked third in the country in offensive rebound rate at 39.6% and knew it needed to take advantage of Michigan on the glass if it wanted to stand a chance against the height that the Wolverines present. 

But the Wolverines stuck to their game plan and did exactly what they needed to minimize the impact of both of those Illinois strengths.

Wagler still finished with 23 points, but graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg had a strong defensive performance and was glued to Wagler the length of the floor. Wagler was just 7-of-17 from the floor. Boswell also had 15 points but was limited in assists as Michigan put much of its attention on preventing the wide-open roll for easy layups down low, as Illinois bigs had far less productivity than normal.

Inside, Michigan was the dominant team. The Wolverines won the paint scoring battle 42-32 and shot 62% on twos for the game.

THE STAR

In the Morez Johnson Jr. game, he delivered.

In a game where the rebound battle was so important, Johnson was the difference maker with five offensive boards. Although neutralized for the most part in the second half, Johnson’s 13 first-half points and 19 total points, as well as 11 rebounds to complete the double-double, were crucial contributions to taking down his former team.

The chorus of boos that erupted the second Johnson entered the court Friday night grew more faint as time went on. And by the end of the game, the boos were nowhere to be heard when he touched the ball as Johnson had the last laugh.

He was the most physical player on the floor, exposing the hole he left behind while shining in the role he’s starred in at Michigan.

THE STAT

In addition to taking away Illinois’ strengths on offense, the Wolverines also dictated the pace of the game by collecting a high percentage of defensive rebounds and pushing in transition as four Illini crashed the offensive boards on nearly every possession.

Although Michigan didn’t win the offensive rebounding battle, Illinois still had 12 compared to the Wolverines’ 11, but the small disparity in that stat allowed for Michigan to continue to push the pace and win the fast break point battle. The Wolverines won that category 10-1 and won the second-chance points battle 22-20.

Michigan did what it needed to defensively, and that allowed it to play the exact game it needed to come away with the dominant victory.

Four Factors