It was timely for the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers to break through against Michigan after a recent drought of victories against the Wolverines, but more important in their Saturday win, 82-76, at Mackey Arena was a milestone for both the school and Big Ten Conference.
In the history of the conference, Purdue is the first and only program to hit the 1,000 win mark in men’s basketball.
“(I’m) lucky to be a part of (Purdue’s program) as a player, as an assistant coach and as a head coach. Purdue has great tradition.” said Matt Painter after the game.
Purdue (20-3, 9-3 in conference) never trailed and led by as many as 12 points. Purdue beat the Wolverines for the first time since Jan. 25, 2018 and had lost five in a row before Saturday.
Michigan (11-9, 5-5) cut the lead to four with 2:19 left to play, 76-72. But when the Wolverines fouled the Boilers down the stretch, the Boilers made them pay with 5-of-6 made free throws to seal the victory.
Though Purdue started the game 4-for-7 from three-point range, it didn’t dictate the area from where most of the production would come. The Boilers later attacked the basket and scored 44 points in the paint with Jaden Ivey, Trevion Williams and Zach Edey providing the bulk of the points inside.
With all that scoring close to the basket, the Boilers’ season-low five made three-pointers hardly mattered even though they lead the conference in three-point shooting percentage. They made only one of 11 for the remainder of the game.
“(Michigan) tried to take us out of our rhythm, with the press that they did, and they were in a zone most of the game,” said Ivey, after the game. He led the Boilers with 23 points. “We didn’t hit some shots today, but those were great looks and I know that those are going to fall in the future.”
The big-man tandem of Edey and Williams combined for 32 points and 17 rebounds. Michigan sophomore center Hunter Dickinson scored a game-high 28 points.
The Boilermakers sit one game behind first-place Illinois in the conference, who they will play on Tuesday at Mackey. The teams will tip-off at 9 p.m.