How to Watch Purdue vs. Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game Live
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CHICAGO — The matchup for the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game is now set. On Sunday afternoon, No. 7 seed Purdue will take on top-seeded Michigan for a chance to win a conference tournament title and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though both the Boilers and Wolverines are locks for March Madness.
Michigan won the regular-season meeting 91-80 in Mackey Arena back in February. Can the Boilermakers get revenge and prevent the Wolverines from sweeping the Big Ten titles?
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's Championship Game between Purdue and Michigan.
#7 Purdue (26-8, 13-7) vs. #1 Michigan (31-2, 19-1)
- What: Big Ten Tournament Championship Game
- Date: Sunday, March 15
- Tipoff time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: United Center in Chicago (20,917 capacity)
- TV: CBS
- TV announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (reporter)
- App: CBS Sports
- Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); View all listings: CLICK HERE
- Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
- Live stats: StatBroadcast.com
- All-time series: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Michigan 94-78
Team stats
Stats (per game) | #7 Purdue | #1 Michigan |
|---|---|---|
Scoring | 82.0 | 87.9 |
Points allowed | 70.1 | 68.9 |
FG% | 49.9% | 50.9% |
3FG% | 38.2% | 36.4% |
Rebounds | 35.6 | 40.2 |
Assists | 19.8 | 18.8 |
Blocks | 2.7 | 5.9 |
Steals | 5.6 | 5.8 |
Turnovers | 9.0 | 12.1 |
Quick storylines
Michigan coming through in the clutch
For the entirety of the season, Michigan has proven to be the most dominant team in the Big Ten. Because of their size, skill and physicality, the Wolverines have very few weaknesses in their game. However, they have found themselves in two battles to reach the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.
Michigan squeaked out a four-point win over Ohio State, hitting multiple free throws late in the game in its first game of the tournament. Then, on Saturday afternoon, Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg buried a game-winning three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift the Wolverines to a 68-65 win over Wisconsin.
Throughout the year, Michigan won several games by double figures. Dusty May's team has had to squeak out two wins in the Big Ten Tournament, proving they can also come through in clutch moments.
Purdue's big men dominant in three rounds
Braden Smith has been outstanding for Purdue as a distributor, but the Boilermakers have really been led by their post players, Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Those two have been warriors on both ends of the floor.
Cluff is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds per game through Purdue's first three games in the Big Ten Tournament. Kaufman-Renn is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. That's essentially 30 points and 20 boards per contest for the Boilermaker bigs.
For Purdue to be successful, it takes a total team effort. Smith has played well, racking up 35 assists in three games. Fletcher Loyer has knocked down a lot of big shots from the perimeter. But the Boilers would not be in this position without the post play from Cluff and Kaufman-Renn.
What happened in the first meeting?
The regular-season meeting between Michigan and Purdue was among the most hyped in Big Ten play this year. However, the Wolverines walked into Mackey Arena and didn't have much trouble with the Boilermakers, cruising to a 91-80 victory.
Purdue missed several layups, shot just 31% from the three-point line and lost the rebounding battle 39-31. The Wolverines' size and length really bothered Purdue, and the Boilermakers struggled on the defensive end. Elliot Cadeau had a big day with 17 points and seven assists, Lendeborg had 13 points and seven assists and Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara combined for 22 points and 22 rebounds. Kaufman-Renn was the bright spot for Purdue that evening, going off for 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Both Purdue and Michigan were able to put points on the board, but the Boilers couldn't get enough defensive stops or rebounds to pull off the upset.
How they got here
Purdue's path to the championship
- Finished with a 13-7 Big Ten record, earned No. 7 seed
- Earned a double-bye for the Big Ten Tournament
- Defeated #15 Northwestern 81-68 in the third round
- Defeated #2 Nebraska 74-58 in the quarterfinals
- Defeated #6 UCLA 73-66 in the semifinals
Michigan's path to the championship
- Finished with a 19-1 Big Ten record, earned No. 1 seed
- Earned a triple-bye for the Big Ten Tournament
- Defeated #8 Rutgers 71-67 in the quarterfinals
- Defeated #5 Wisconsin 68-65 in the semifinals
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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