The No. 1 Michigan Basketball team will travel to West Lafayette to take on the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday night (6:30 p.m., Peacock). Despite struggling historically at Purdue, Michigan has what it takes to go into Mackey Arena and come away with a win.
“It will be an unbelievable challenge for us, but I think our guys are up for it,” head coach Dusty May told the media on Monday morning. “It’s just 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.”
History suggests the Wolverines could have trouble on the road against Purdue, falling short in 15-of-22 matchups at Mackey Arena dating back to 1999, including losing to the Boilermakers in each of the last three meetings in West Lafayette. Michigan’s last win at Purdue was five years ago on Jan. 22, 2021.
Michigan doesn’t particularly care what the past may suggest. This team is focused solely on the task at hand, and the Wolverines know what it will take to get a victory — avoid turnovers, get off to a quality start and slow down Purdue’s prolific offense.
The Boilermakers have the second-most efficient offense in the country, scoring 128.2 points per 100 possessions. They are led by an All-Big Ten tandem in point guard Braden Smith (14.7 PPG, 8.9 APG) and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (12.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG), who pose a serious threat to Michigan’s top-rated defense.
“The thing that makes it really tough to play there are Purdue’s players because they’re old, good, physical, and they have an identity that’s been around since I was a kid,” May said. “For the last 40 years, they have had a very similar identity.
“Outside of the players, it’s the energy that the fans bring. They’re an educated fan base. They know and appreciate the game, and know what winning looks like, so them being a part of the game is certainly going to be a factor.”
Michigan failed to play up to its standard in the most recent trip to Purdue, committing a season-high 22 turnovers in an embarrassing 91-64 loss last year. However, the Wolverines learned from that loss and are much more confident this time around.
“We learned from it. It was one of those moments that really stuck in our minds,” May said. “It helped us tremendously last year. They capitalized on our mistakes and it just got away from us, but we really improved after that.”
The Wolverines have been dominant away from home this season, posting a perfect 8-0 record with a +11.1 point differential. Perhaps this team is ready to buck the recent trend and pick up a crucial win at Mackey Arena. With a win, Michigan would strengthen its lead atop the conference standings and inch closer to winning the Big Ten regular season title for the first time since 2021.
