5 Takeaways From Michigan’s Win Over Illinois

There will be no sharing when it comes to the Big Ten Title. The Wolverines have it all to themselves.

With its 84-70 win over No. 10 Illinois, the No. 3 Michigan men’s basketball team clinched the outright conference title with two games still remaining on the schedule.

The clash between the Wolverines and the Illini was one that was eagerly anticipated. A top-10 matchup in Champaign in late February is always going to draw a crowd, but the budding tension between these two programs has been growing for years.

For much of the first half, it looked like a hardwood classic was taking form, but Michigan pulled away in the second half and was able to coast down the back stretch.

From an anticipated return to a snapped seven-year streak, here are five key takeaways from the game.

Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. spent his freshman season playing for Illinois before transferring to Michigan. Understandably, the Illinois faithful were not very happy with his decision, and they let him know it all night.

Despite the jeering from the crowd, Johnson had quite a productive night. He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and perhaps most importantly, a win.

The performance on any other night would have been impressive enough, but the poise to play like he did under that amount of scrutiny and pressure takes it to another level. Johnson positively impacted the game on both sides of the floor and did so with poise and maturity.

It wasn’t just Johnson enjoying the paint production. As a squad, the Wolverines owned the interior. They finished the night outscoring the Illini 40-to-28, and shot 22 layups and dunks compared to Illinois’ 11.

Junior center Aday Mara was a big part of that domination, scoring 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting to go along with his five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. He even went on a personal 7-0 run in the second half to double Michigan’s lead from seven to 14. 

Prowling the paint is the Wolverines bread and butter, so when they can do it at a high level like they did Friday night, they’re a tough team to beat. 

Prior to Friday night’s win, Illinois had beaten Michigan nine straight times. The last time the Wolverines won a game in this series was on Jan. 10. 2019. 

There’s no other way to say it: The Illini have owned Michigan in recent years.

But with this win, maybe the Wolverines are set to turn things around. This program is already irrecognizable from what it looked like just two years ago, so there’s no reason that bugaboos from day’s past must stick around too. 

Regardless of who wins the next 10 matchups between these programs, snapping a nine-game losing streak against a singular conference foe has to feel good.

The Wolverines’ bench production has been solid all season, and this game was no exception, as their bench outscored Illinois’ 20-to-7.

Sophomore guard L.J. Cason had yet another productive outing, but he ultimately had to come out of the game in the second half because of an apparent lower-body injury. Prior to his injury, he collected nine points, two assists, and a steal.

Freshman guard Trey McKenney also added some production in the second half. He was held scoreless in the first half, but he hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second to push Michigan’s lead from 12 points to 18 points, ultimately icing the game.

It wasn’t the most explosive outing that the bench unit has put together, but they came up big when they needed to, and they outdueled Illinois’ reserves.

After clinching a share of the title with a win over Minnesota on Tuesday, there wasn’t much celebration for the Wolverines. For one, clinching with three games still to play is rare, and it doesn’t feel quite right to celebrate with three more games to play. But more importantly, they didn’t want to share anything.

Well, with its 17th Big Ten win of the season, Michigan has the title to itself. 

The last time the Wolverines won the regular season title was in 2020-21, but even that one came with some controversy. Several teams had games canceled due to COVID-19, so not every team played the same amount of games. So, while Illinois went 16-4 and Michigan went 14-3, the Wolverines had the better winning percentage, so it claimed the title. 

The last time they won it before 2021 was in 2014.

Michigan celebrated in the locker room after beating Illinois, but it still has two more Big Ten games left and some things to prove before the tournament season. Because now that they have the Big Ten Title, the Wolverines are gunning for the No. 1 overall seed and a national championship.