Wolverine Digest

Predicting final score of Michigan basketball vs. Purdue in Big Ten Tournament

Trent Knoop|
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Purdue Boilermakers

The Big Ten Tournament resumes on Friday with the Quarterfinal Round taking place. After Purdue defeated USC late Thursday night, 76-71, Michigan basketball will now take on the Boilermakers. The Wolverines and Purdue split the season series this year. The Boilermakers dismantled Michigan at their home court before the Wolverines returned the favor and snuck past Purdue in Ann Arbor.

Now on the neutral court, the winner will win the series. But the two teams are currently on two different trajectories. Michigan has lost four of its last six games and the Wolverines are making a flurry of mistakes. Tre Donaldson, Nimari Burnett, and the other guards haven't been playing good basketball. Mix in turnovers, passive play from Danny Wolf, and not rebounding well as a team -- Michigan has been losing games.

Purdue found itself losing four in a row toward the end of the regular season, but the Boilermakers ended the year winning three of their last four, including the win against USC.

This feels like a fairly even match. Purdue is one of the worst rebounding teams in the Big Ten and that could help the Wolverines' rebounding issues. But the Boilermakers shoot nearly 40% from 3 as a team and are the best 3-point shooting team in the conference. If Michigan can shoot its 3s, defend Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer on the perimeter, and not allow the Boilermakers to crash the boards -- the Wolverines have a real shot.

But until we see Michigan make improvements, it's difficult to predict a Wolverines' win.

Final score: Purdue 74, Michigan 68

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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