In a top-20 Big Ten matchup that was one of the most hyped-up games in an epic Tuesday slate of college basketball, the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines stole victory from the Big Ten-leading No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers, 75-73.

After losing to Purdue by 27 at Mackey Arena a few weeks ago, the Wolverines needed to bounce back against the Big Ten leader to stay in the conference title race and improve their NCAA Tournament resume. Ranked seventh in both the AP Poll and KenPom, Purdue has been one of the best teams in the country all season, entering this contest winning 11 of its last 12 games since Christmas.

This Quad 1 opponent showcased why they are the Big Ten leader in Crisler Center, executing well on both ends. But this game was much more competitive than the match-up a few weeks ago, and Michigan stepped up on defense in the final minutes while finally executing on offense at the perfect time to earn its best win of the season.

With the Michigan win the Wolverines improve to 11-2 in Big Ten games, 19-5 on the year, and 6-3 in Quad 1 games, while also taking the lead in the Big Ten standings (as of this article being published, Michigan State has yet to finish its game over Indiana, so Michigan could end up tied by the end of the night.)

Here are the takeaways from the win.

Michigan makes winning plays late to steal victory

After Purdue was the better team for the first 30-35 game minutes, the Wolverines played their best basketball when they needed to most. And the best part was it wasn’t just one guy that took over.

A quick 5-0 run off a deep Tre Donaldson three-pointer and a Rubin Jones steal that led into a coast-to-coast finish gave Michigan a one-point lead with three minutes left.

After a Braden Smith bucket, Danny Wolf (team-high 15 points) answered with a bucket of his own before Vlad Goldin blocked a Caleb Furst block attempt with about two minutes left. Goldin made two big free throws to give Michigan a three-point lead, and then stepped up yet again seconds later by grabbing an offensive rebound and heading to the free throw line after Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up his fifth foul.

Michigan got a big time stop with a four-point lead and about a minute to play, and Rubin Jones’ put-back dunk gave Michigan a commanding six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Purdue had one final shot after two Danny Wolf missed two free throws, but Michigan held on for victory after Smith finally missed.

Great execution on both ends by the Boilermakers

Purdue was in control of this game early, getting quality shots while rotating beautifully on defense to prevent easy looks for the Wolverines. That quality execution on both ends continued into the second half.

It helped Purdue that Michigan — a team that’s 331st out of 363 KenPom teams in turnover percentage — turned the ball over five times before the first-half under-12 media timeout. Michigan wasn’t as bad in the turnover department after that sloppy start, and each team ended with 11 turnovers.

In my opinion, what was more impactful than the turnovers was the half-court defense Purdue played, not letting Michigan get comfortable running its offense at all, until the final few minutes of the game.

Michigan overcoming that strong Purdue defense late speaks volumes to the resiliency this squad possesses.

No answer for Braden Smith early

Smith is likely the favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year, and he carved up the Wolverines much like he did at Mackey Arena a few weeks ago.

Michigan had Rubin Jones — one of Michigan’s best on-ball defenders — be Smith’s primary defender. Jones did a good job being physical, but that didn’t stop Smith from scoring 14 points mid-way through the first half, making mid-range shots galore.

You never like to hear the word “scintillating” to describe the other team’s point guard.

While Smith didn’t score as much in the second half and ended up with 24 points, he dictated the pace of play and dished five assists, helping the Purdue offense run like clockwork at times. He played like an All-Big Ten guard in this one and did his damndest to help Purdue come back.

Trey Kaufman-Renn dominates in the paint

Not many big men have been able to put a dent in Michigan’s defense anchored by two 7-footers, but Purdue’s did a great job scoring inside.

Trey Kaufman-Renn poured in 22 points, with the majority of them coming in the lane. He utilized shot fakes and his pivot foot beautifully. Much like former Indiana standout Trayce Jackson-Davis, TKR wasn’t a threat from outside, but he was automatic from inside 15 feet.

Purdue got plenty of great looks around the rim thanks to Kaufman-Renn, but Michigan winning the points in the paint helped immensely, and Goldin executed a little better late in the game.

Solid bench minutes from Roddy Gayle Jr.

Roddy Gayle Jr. has struggled in recent weeks, but he had a solid outing off the bench on Tuesday. Offense was especially hard to come by in the half court, so Gayle’s 12 points in the first half — more points than he’s had in a single game since the Washington win on Jan. 12 — was a welcome contribution. He got into a rhythm and a good flow offensively, looking much more confident than he has in previous Big Ten games.

Head coach Dusty May said before the Indiana game that moving Gayle to the bench was a move to help him be more aggressive offensively. He certainly looked more comfortable in that role, leading the team with 14 points.

Michigan could use more consistent scoring from Gayle as we inch closer to March, whether he comes off the bench or not.

Good minutes from L.J. Cason

After not getting on the court the last three games, freshman L.J. Cason played some big minutes off the bench on Tuesday. He didn’t light up the box score by any means (two points) but he provided stability on both ends for a key portion of the second half.

That’s got to be a huge confidence boost for the young guard; Michigan could use him to provide more depth come March.

Up Next

Rivalry week is almost here for the Wolverines, who travel to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes (Sunday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. on CBS) before hosting the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans (Friday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. on FOX). Based on the NET rankings, a Quad 1 victory would be up for grabs in both games.