ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team (14-1, 4-1 Big Ten), led by head coach Dusty May, returned to Crisler Center after escaping a nailbiter against Penn State, but fell to the Wisconsin Badgers (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) 91-88 in upset fashion.
The game, held on Saturday (Jan. 10), was a “Blue Out” in which they encouraged Wolverine fans to wear blue, and fans packed Crisler Arena.
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Promotions for the game include a student giveaway of Maize Rage Blue Out jerseys, courtesy of University Trails, for the first 1,250 students attending.
With the defeat, Michigan holds a 98-79 all-time series advantage over Wisconsin, including a 60-25 home record in Ann Arbor.
Wisconsin got key contributions from Aleksas Bieliauskas who scored 17, John Blackwell who scored 26 and Nick Boyd who scored 22 to outgun the Wolverines.
Elliot Cadeau tried to keep Michigan going in the second half as he scored all of his 19 points, but they came up short.
Morez Johnson Jr. followed suit with 18 points while Nimari Burnett scored 10 and Yaxiel Lendeborg added 14 points in the loss.
After struggling against Wisconsin from 2007 to 2017, the Wolverines have reversed the trend, winning 10 of the last 15 meetings and having their four-game winning streak snapped in the process.
Prior to Jan. 10, Michigan overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to win 59-53 and claim the 2025 Big Ten Tournament championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Their recent 74-72 win at Penn State ended a streak of 10 consecutive victories by 18 or more points, the longest such run since Duke’s 2003-04 season.
→ Dusty May praises grit, fan support after Michigan basketball’s narrow road victory vs. Penn State
1st half
The Wolverines looked spry before the tip as each player put on a dunk contest to the amazement of the crowd.
Michigan won the tap, and Yaxel Lendeborg found Aday Mara for a slam dunk to take a 2-0 lead.
Michigan went back to Mara in the post, and he knocked down a jump shot to take a 4-0 lead.
Nicolas Boyd got the Badgers on the scoreboard following a three-point play.
Nimari Burnett knocked down a three-pointer before Mara got fouled under the basket, sending him to the line for two, where he split the pair to take an 8-3 lead with 17:54 to play.
John Blackwell hit a three-pointer before Lendeborg blew a wide-open layup, but he got the rebound and got fouled while making the putback.
He sank the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Burnett cleaned the glass on defense for his first rebound of the game.
Wisconsin turned the ball over as the defender fell out of bounds.
Mara threw a lob to Morez Johnson Jr., who came down with the ball and followed up with a monster jam over two defenders.
Lendeborg got the steal and pushed the break, leading to a turnover under the basket with 15:55 to play.
Timeout called as Michigan led 13-6.
After the break, Michigan forced another turnover before Roddy Gayle Jr. turned the ball over himself.
Johnson Jr. hustled back on defense to get his first block of the game during the fastbreak.
Aleksas Bieliauskas dove to the basket for the layup to cut into the deficit.
Elliot Cadeau drew a foul with 14:34 to play before being subbed out as Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason entered the game.
McKenney airballed a shot before getting the ball back on the next possession and being sent to the line for two, making both as Michigan took a 15-8 lead.
Blackwell made a contested layup before McKenney drained a three-pointer.
Lendeborg followed suit to the amazement of the raucous crowd as his three-pointer led to a timeout by Wisconsin as Michigan went up 21-10 with 12:47 to play.
After the timeout, Wisconsin swung the ball around and found Nolan Winter for a three-pointer.
McKenney got called for his first foul of the game on a Braeden Carrington three-point attempt.
Timeout called with 11:46 to play.
Carrington made two of the three free throws to bring the Badgers to within six.
Gayle Jr. drove to the paint and found Mara for the assists, but he blew the layup
Mara got the rebound got the putback to take an eight point lead.
McKenny put Michigan up 10 following a goaltending call.
Blackwell made a contested shot to cut the deficit to eight with 9:07 to play.
Lendeborg found Johnson Jr. in the post for the contested bucket.
Lendeborg got the steal and went coast-to-coast, but got hammered at the rim
He went to the free throw line and made both as Michigan took a 12-point lead.
On the next possession, following lockdown defense by Will Tschetter, Cadeau found Johnson Jr., who dove to the rim but stopped short to showcase his float game for the bucket as Michigan took a 31-17 lead with 7:20 to play.
Timeout.
Blackwell started cooking as he knocked down another three-pointer. After getting possession, Blackburn hit another three-pointer to bring the deficit to eight.
He had 13 points until he drew a foul on Johnson Jr., which was a missed call as he went straight up on the play.
Blackwell split the pair as Michigan led 31-24.
Johnson Jr. made a strong move for the bucket, but he turned the ball over on the next possession, leading to a Jack Jarnicki layup.
Johnson Jr. got another bucket on the next possession, but Blackwell got sent to the line on the next possession, making both.
Bieliauska hit a three to quiet the crowd as the once double-digit lead was cut to four, but Johnson Jr. hit a three of his own to go back up seven, before McKenney got called for another foul.
Timeout called with 3:41 to play.
Boyd went to the line out of the timeout and made both as Michigan led by five.
Back-to-back turnovers led to a layup as Michigan led 38-35 before Mara turned the ball over with 2:28 to play.
Wisconsin turned the ball over before McKenney turned the ball over as Johnson Jr. exited the game for Tschetter.
Mara got a block and rebound, which led to a Cason three-point attempt that rimmed out.
A Boyd floater cut the once double-digit lead to one with under a minute to go.
Cason turned the ball over, but it didn’t lead to a bucket as Michigan called a timeout with 29.3 to play in the first half.
There was a six-second difference between the shot clock and play clock as Michigan bricked.
Lendeborg got the steal but lost the ball as Wisconsin threw up a deep three-point shot that missed at the buzzer.
May had to regroup his team after sloppy play and poor shooting led to a massive comeback, allowing Wisconsin to hang around in the matchup.
Blackwell led all scorers with 16 points as he was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half.
The Bloomfield Hills native returned to his home state and wanted to put on a show in front of his fellow Michiganders, which he did in the first half.
Johnson Jr. led the Wolverines with 13 points in the first half, but he will need help from his teammates as Wisconsin could smell blood in the water by walking them down from the once double-digit deficit.
2nd half
Mara opened the second half with a dive to the rim to put Michigan back up three, but Bieliauskas tied the game with a three-pointer.
Michigan fed the big man again, but Mara missed the bunny as Winter drained a three-pointer to take their first lead of the game.
Burnett got fouled and sent to the line as Michigan trailed 43-40.
He made both to cut the deficit to one with 18:43 to play.
Bieliauskas made another three-pointer, followed by a Cadeau bank three-pointer.
But he made a corner three-pointer, as Bieliauskas was hot from beyond the arc.
Gayle Jr. made a contested runner to cut into the deficit, but Bieliauskas was left wide open again as Wisconsin stretched the lead to five.
Cadeau got fouled on the other end, making both to re-energize the crowd, but Boyd drove coast-to-coast for a contested layup to quiet the crowd.
Cadeau scored on the other end, but Boyd countered with a contested jumper of his own.
Michigan answered with a layup by Cadeau, but Boyd drained a three-pointer to go up six.
Staying aggressive, Cadeau got fouled while making a layup to cut the deficit to 59-54 with 15:26 to play.
Boyd had 16 points while Bieliauskas had 17 after trailing 38-37 at the half.
Wisconsin went on a 22-17 run to open the second half.
Cadeau made the free throw as the crowd got back into the game with Michigan trailing by three.
Carrington hit a three, but Burnett countered as Wisconsin leads 62-59.
Blackwell missed from three, to the amazement of the crowd.
Lendeborg found Johnson Jr., who got hacked while going up for the contested shot.
Johnson Jr. split the pair as they trailed 62-60 before Winter drained another three-pointer.
He was wide open again.
Cadeau got sent to the line for two as he was fouled while going for the layup.
He made both to cut the deficit back to three with 13:45 to play.
Stifling defense caused a turnover as “Let’s Go Blue” chants rang out in the arena.
Cadeau continued his hot run as he answered with a three-pointer to tie the game at 65.
Burnett got called for a foul, bringing in McKenney off the bench.
Wisconsin had trouble getting the ball inbounds, nearly getting called for a five-second violation before taking its second timeout of the half as 13:01 remained on the clock.
The scoring outburst by Cadeau, who went on a 17-point run in seven minutes, was huge.
Michigan played tough defense, but the ball got deflected out of Lendeborg’s hands.
Wisconsin kept putting Mara in the screen-and-roll, and it worked again as Blackwell drained another three-pointer.
Cadeau drew a defensive foul, leading to a Gaylr Jr. contested layup.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel guard scored again as Cadeau had 19 points in the second half.
Cadeau drew another turnover on defense, this time causing Blackwell to travel as Michigan trailed 70-69 with 11:02 to play.
Timeout.
Lendeborg got Michigan the lead again after a contested layup.
Tschetter made a hustle play on the offensive glass to keep the possession and got fouled, sending him to the line, where he made both to take a 73-70 lead.
Gayle Jr. played coast-to-coast defense and drew an offensive foul.
With the ball, Michigan couldn’t capitalize, leading to a Blackwell three-point play to tie the game at 73.
Boyd made a reverse layup to regain the lead before Johnson Jr. got hacked at the rim, sending him to the line for two.
Timeout with 7:57 to play.
After the timeout, Johnson Jr. went to the line and made both to tie the game at 75.
Tenacious defense by Gayle Jr. on Blackwell forced another turnover.
Michigan swung the ball around and landed in the wide-open hands of McKenney, but he missed.
Both teams fought for the ball, but it went flying out of bounds.
Lendeborg was adamant that the ball went off Wisconsin, leading May to use his first challenge of the game, which was overturned when Michigan kept their challenge.
Burnett missed a contested three-pointer that nearly went in but rimmed out.
Lendeborg picked up his third personal foul as Carrington got fouled after cleaning the glass, going to the line to make both to retake the lead.
Johnson Jr. got fouled by Winter, picking up his third personal foul.
At the line, Johnson Jr. made both to tie the game at 77 with Mara subbing in for Gayle Jr.
Mara got called for another foul, sending Carrington to the line for two to the dismay of the crowd.
Carrington made both to go back up two.
Lendeborg drove through the defender and got an easy bunny to tie the game.
Blackwell retook the lead with a contested jumper, but Burnett got a dunk to tie the game at 81.
Lendeborg blocked the ball out of bounds.
Gayle Jr. entered the game for Mara.
Johnson Jr. got called for his second foul of the game as Boyd went to the line, making both to retake the lead with 4:26 to play.
Michigan swung the ball and found Gayle Jr. for a three-pointer to retake the lead, but Blackwell countered with a floater to take the lead.
Burnett missed a wide-open three-pointer as Wisconsin grabbed the rebound, leading 85-84, before Andrew Rohde made a three-pointer.
Lendeborg grabbed the rebound and found Gayle Jr. for a wide-open three-pointer, but he missed as Carrington got fouled, leading to a timeout with two minutes to play, leading 88-84.
Cadeau threw up a brick on a head-scratching shot.
Gayle Jr. went to the cup and made a strong-man layup to cut the deficit to 88-86 with 1:11 to play.
Wisconsin left the door open as they missed back-to-back free throws.
Trailing by two, with under a minute to go, Gayle Jr. drove to the basket and missed, but Mara slammed it back home to tie the game, but the refs called basket interference.
May challenged the play with 35.2 to play.
The call stood to the dismay of the fans.
Wisconsin has the ball with 30 seconds on the shot clock.
Michigan trapped the Wisconsin player in the corner, but the Wisconsin player called a timeout with 33.3 to play.
Wisconsin threw a touchdown pass, where Cadeau got called for the foul on Carrington, who made the first free throw.
Carring made the second as Michigan trailed 90-86 with 27.6 to play.
May drew up a play in the huddle, and Michigan walked back onto the floor.
Burnett missed the three-pointer as it was deflected.
He shot another three-pointer but missed as Lendeborg got fouled on the offensive rebound, sending him to the line for two.
Lendeborg made both to cut the deficit to 90-88 with 15.6 to play.
Carrington got fouled and sent to the line, missing the first one as the ball barely hit the rim.
The crowd is back into the game as they want him to miss the second, but he made it.
Trailing by three, Michigan bricks on the final play, taking their first loss of the season.