Michigan Beats Wisconsin in Semifinal Thriller

After Friday’s four-point victory over Ohio State, Michigan head coach Dusty May was asked if he liked close games. “If we win, yes, I love it,” he quipped. He must have loved Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.

In a contest that started out slowly but heated up late, Michigan prevailed in a thriller thanks to a last-second three-pointer by Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg.

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“What a fabulous basketball game,” May said. “The kind of a modern Big Ten game where teams were fighting, clawing, scrapping, competing at the highest level, but also making some high-level shots and plays.” May wasn’t wrong. In a Big Ten tournament full of exciting finishes, this one ranked near the top.

Not that it started that way.

Neither team could get much of anything going early. Led by Aday Mara, Michigan was able to keep Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd and John Blackwell from attacking the basket like they’d done in previous games. Boyd and Blackwell accounted for 15 first-half points, but needed 16 shots to do so. As a team, the Badgers shot just 32% from the floor in the first half, but on the strength of seven three-pointers, kept Michigan on its heels for much of the first 20 minutes.

For Michigan, it was the second game in a row in which the Wolverines couldn’t really get rolling offensively. With point guard Eliot Cadeau on the bench in foul trouble for much of the half, the Wolverines looked rudderless offensively and fell behind 26-18 with just over four minutes remaining.

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Michigan found its footing, however, and finished the half on a 10-2 run. When Yaxel Lendeborg connected on a three-pointer in the waning seconds of the half to tie the score, the Wolverines went to the halftime locker room with momentum.

Michigan came out of the locker room a different team.

Asked what was discussed during halftime, May said, “The gist was, look, we’re big boys here. We can live with whatever the results are, but we’re not going out like that. We’re…

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Publish date : 2026-03-15 13:00:00

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