Takeaways From Michigan's Thrilling 68-65 Big Ten Tournament Win Over Wisconsin

The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines avenged their only conference loss of the season after beating the Wisonsin Badgers by a score of 68-65 on Saturday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after a Yaxel Lendeborg three-pointer broke a tie with 0.4 seconds left.

Here are a few takeaways from the victory.

Cadeau foul trouble hurts Michigan in first half

With the recent loss of backup point guard L.J. Cason for the season with a torn ACL, Elliot Cadaeu's role as the only true point guard on the team becomes increasingly important.

And part of that increased responsibility that falls on Cadeau's shoulder is being available for the team to be out on the floor so he can provide ball distribution and be a playmaker in the Wolverine offense.

However, against the Badgers on Saturday, Cadeau found himself picking up two fouls early in the first half, which led to him playing just six minutes. All the while, Michigan had one of its worst offensive first-half outputs of the season with its point guard mostly on the bench, scoring just 28 points on 8-of-30 shooting while turning the ball over eight times.

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) drives to the basket against Ohio State Buckeyes guard Gabe Cupps (4) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Not all of the Wolverines' offensive struggles in the first 20 minutes were due to Cadeau being on the bench for most of the first 20 minutes, as Michigan did miss some wide open looks. But overall, there was just a level of dysfunction from the Wolverines in the first half against a Badgers team who has been mediocre on the defensive end of the floor all season long.

In the second half, Cadeau's offensive presence greatly helped the Wolverines on their way to 40 points in the game's final 20 minutes, as Cadeau finished the contest with 15 points, with his lone assist coming on the Lendeborg three at the buzzer.

When Michigan locks in defensively, it can slow down anyone in college basketball

One of Michigan's best traits as a team is its ability to get consistent stops on the defensive end of the floor.

When the offense isn't clicking on all cylinders, which is going to happen sometimes by the nature of the sport, it's important to be able to not let missed shots impact defensive effort.

In the first half, when the Wolverines were struggling on offense, it was the defensive effort that held Wisconsin, who sports two extremely high level guards in Nick Boyd and Curtis Blackwell, to just 10-of-31 shooting in the first half.

Michigan did a good job in making it difficult for those two guards, especially when they entered the paint against the likes of Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg.

In the second half, the Wolverines had some lapses on Austin Rapp, who hit six three-pointers and almost single-handedly led the Badgers back from a 15-point second half deficit.

But overall, holding this Wisconsin team to 38% from the floor and winning on a day the Badgers knocked home 16 threes is a good sign for the Wolverines.

Mara, McKenney make big impacts on consecutive days at Big Ten Tournament

For the second-straight day in this tournament, Trey McKenney and Aday Mara made significant impacts during their time on the floor.

On the defensive end, Mara contested every Wisconsin shot at the rim while rejecting five Badger shots, which led to run outs and easy baskets for Michigan on the other end of the court. In Michigan's half court offense, Mara started to get going in the second half scoring the ball on the block, but also as a passer as he hit Lendeborg on off the ball cuts to the basket on multiple occasions.

Mara is one of the most impactful players in college basketball and proved that again in Saturday's win on his way to 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists to go along with the five blocks.

McKenney continues to look like anything but a true freshman. His on the ball defense is becoming a real asset for this Wolverines team, and his shot and play making ability gives the Maize and Blue a dynamic weapon on the offensive end. He ended the game with 10 points and three assists with two three-pointers, while also having to handle some point guard duties with Cadeau in foul trouble.

Yaxel Lendeborg has a clutch gene

After an off game on Friday in the Wolverines' win over Ohio State, Lendeborg bounced back with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five rebounds.

Obviously, no shot was bigger than the one he hit with under a second remaining from three-point range to give Michigan the win with the score tied at 65 apiece before the shot left his hand.

We’re going to the Big Ten Championship! pic.twitter.com/NE2OHCa0X2
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 14, 2026

Lendeborg has shown an ability to hit big time shots in big games leading up to Saturday, but considering Wisconsin had much of the game's momentum down the stretch, Lendeborg's three couldn't have come at a better time.