Takeaways From Michigan's Massive Victory at Purdue

The Michigan Wolverines played their first game as the No. 1 ranked team in college basketball on Tuesday night and made relatively easy work of the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena by a score of 91-80.

With the win, Dusty May's team improved to 25-1 overall and are in prime position to claim a Big Ten regular season title.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

Michigan overwhelms Purdue on the glass early and often

The Wolverines came up with 36 rebounds in the game, with Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara grabbing 11 boards each even while they both fouled out.

For the game, Michigan had 12 offensive rebounds, with several of them leading to second chance points in the fashion of open three-pointers that the Wolverines were able to bury, particularly in the first half.

Aday Mara shoots ball — Feb 17, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) shoots the ball over Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Michigan's effort on the glass and getting a good portion of the 50-50 balls greatly contributed to the victory against a Boilermaker team that scrapped the entire game despite getting down 20 at one point in the first half.

Lendeborg seems to be finding his jumper

Early in the season, star forward Yaxel Lendeborg was hitting his three-point shot at a high level along with everything else he brings to the table on the offensive and defensive end.

Lendeborg has still played at an extremely high level, but his three-point percentage has dipped in Big Ten play.

However, last Saturday, Lendeborg his two of his three shots from deep, and against Purdue, Lendeborg drilled three of seven shot attempts from behind the long line.

Being he is so difficult to guard in the paint, Matt Painter and the Boilermakers were willing to let him take jump shots, but Lendeborg made them pay on a few occasions.

Yaxel Lendeborg defends — Feb 17, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) defends against Purdue Boilermakers guard Omer Mayer (17) during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

If Lendeborg is even hitting his jump shot at a somewhat consistent rate, that brings out yet another element of his game that opponents have to worry about, which is a scary though for teams playing the Wolverines down the stretch.

Elliot Cadeau's 'wizardry'

During his postgame on-court interview with Peacock, May described point guard Elliot Cadeau's play as "wizardry" against the Boilermakers.

It was a simple, yet very accurate description of the Michigan point guard's effort on the court on Tuesday as he was a wizard in both scoring and setting up his teammates while finishing with 17 points and seven assists on 50% shooting.

Since the Northwestern game a couple games back where Cadeau was just a little bit out of rhythm, he has bounced back with two strong performances in the Wolverines' last two games, which isa great sign for the Michigan backcourt as it gets closer to March.

In addition, his effort on the defensive end was also superb against Purdue as it was a great night on both ends of the floor for the North Carolina transfer.

Roddy Gayle and Lendeborg's impact on defense is a key to success

One of the most impressive parts of this Michigan team is even when the offense stagnates—which isn't often, its defense usually stays dominant no matter the circumstances.

The entire team deserves credit for holding Purdue to 39% shooting against a team that contains players who can score the ball at an elite rate, including Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who had 47 combined points against the Wolverines.

But the defense starts with the effort on the ball, and Gayle and Lendeborg provide a tremendous amount of physicality with ball handlers and have ability to fight through screens that make things really difficult on opposing offenses, and that was again the case against Purdue.

Wolverines are officially 'road warriors'

Michigan's only loss of the season to this point remains at home to Wisconsin, meaning the Wolverines remain undefeated away from Crisler Center.

It's one thing to pick up wins at Northwestern and Maryland (although no game on the road is easy in the Big Ten), but for Michigan to go on the road and beat both Michigan State and Purdue is impressive.

Morez Johnson dives — Feb 17, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) and Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) dive after a loose ball during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Breslin and Mackey Arena are not only two of the best atmospheres in the conference, but are also considered some of the best in the country and most difficult to play in.

Michigan has handled every road game with complete poise and composure.

The Wolverines will hope that plays well for them this Saturday when Michigan takes on Duke at 6:30 p.m. EST in Washington, DC.