The newly crowned No. 1 Michigan Wolverines will find out quickly whether they’re built to stay there. Dusty May’s squad travels to West Lafayette tonight to face No. 7 Purdue in Mackey Arena, one of college basketball’s most unforgiving venues, where Michigan hasn’t won since January 2021.
What the Wolverines Learned From Last Season’s Beating
Michigan (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) earned its first No. 1 ranking since 2013 after Arizona dropped consecutive games last week. The timing couldn’t be more precarious. Thirteen months ago, in this same building, Purdue dismantled May’s team in a 91-64 blowout that exposed every weakness in Michigan’s roster.
The Wolverines trailed 13-2 before the first media timeout. They committed multiple turnovers in the opening minutes. By halftime, the deficit had ballooned to 25 points. Michigan finished with 22 turnovers and struggled from deep in the first half.
May hasn’t forgotten it. Neither has his staff.
“We learned from it,” May said Monday. “It was one of the moments that we learned from and stuck in our minds.”
The second-year Michigan coach knows what awaits his team at 6:30 p.m. on Peacock. Purdue (21-4, 11-3) has won four straight and enters riding momentum from road victories at Nebraska and Iowa. The Boilermakers opened the season ranked No. 1 themselves and would love nothing more than to remind everyone why.
May spent part of his Monday press conference explaining what makes Mackey Arena so treacherous. It starts with Purdue’s roster.
“They’re old, they’re good, they’re physical,” May said. “They have an identity that’s been around since I was a little kid. I’m 49. So for the last 40 years, they have this very similar identity, and they’ve done a really nice job of adapting to the modern game.”
Then there’s the crowd and the environment that combine to make Mackey Arena one of the toughest road venues in the country.
Michigan’s 10-Game Streak Meets Purdue’s Revenge Game
Since their lone loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 10, the Wolverines have won 10 consecutive games. Several of those came on the road. The stretch includes victories over No. 5 Nebraska and No. 7 Michigan State at the Breslin Center, where Michigan won for the first time since 2018.
Saturday’s 86-56 demolition of UCLA at Crisler Arena offered the latest evidence of Michigan’s dominance. The Wolverines have won 20 games by double digits this season, including 10 by 30 or more points, the most 30-point wins in Division I.
But Purdue isn’t UCLA. Braden Smith remains one of the most dangerous point guards in the country, averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 assists per game. Trey Kaufman-Renn anchors the interior with 12.4 points and 9.0 rebounds. The Boilermakers rank second nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency at 128.2 points per 100 possessions.
Michigan’s defense, which ranks among the best in the country in efficiency, will face its stiffest test of the season.
The Wolverines hold a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings with five conference games remaining. A loss tonight wouldn’t be fatal to their regular-season title hopes, but it would open the door for other contenders to reclaim the top spot before Saturday’s marquee showdown against Duke in Washington, D.C.
That Duke game looms large. But May knows his team can’t look past West Lafayette.
“It’s an unbelievable challenge for us that I think our guys are up for,” May said. “What another great college basketball night in that environment with the quality of players that will be on the court. It’s going to be awesome.”
Michigan hasn’t won at Mackey Arena in five years. The Wolverines have lost 15 of their last 22 trips to West Lafayette dating to 1999.
Tonight, they’ll find out if this version of Michigan can handle the hostility that broke last year’s team before the first media timeout.