Purdue's Sweet Sixteen Triumph Ensures Big Ten Title: Michigan's Last Stand Fails by a Point!
Purdue wins their third Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship.
Purdue center Oscar Cluff (45) goes to the basket against Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the first half of Big Ten Tournament final at United Center in Chicago on Sunday, March 15, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images After winning three games over the previous three days Purdue headed to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game to face a Michigan Wolverines team who dominated them in Mackey Arena in their lone matchup back in February. This one of course was for not just the championship, but also had seeding implications for the Boilermakers who will soon learn what seed line and what location they will be heading to next week.
John Wooden Memorial Player of the Game (JWMPOTG): Oscar Cluff wins this one again today. He had 21 and 5 and each one seemed more important than the last. After starting on fire offensively the previous two games with 13-3 and 15-2 starts Purdue fans were hoping for a similar hot start today against the also red hot Woleverines.
No such luck today as both teams came out struggling to find their offensive flow. At one point in the first half each team was sitting at a not so great 7-19 from the field. Neither team was able to find a consistent flow, and neither team was able to run away with a big lead.
Purdue’s biggest lead in the first half was four while Michigan built a six point lead at best. Neither was safe though. Especially with the physical play of the Wolverines.