EVANSTON, ILL. – The No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten) will remain on the road for a midweek Big Ten matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats (10-14, 2-11 Big Ten).
The game on Wednesday (Feb. 11) will be at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. Central Time.
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The contest will be televised on the Big Ten Network, with the Wolverines opening the week in the “Windy City” before returning to Ann Arbor to host the UCLA Bruins on Valentine’s Day.
Historically, Michigan holds a 120-60 all-time edge over Northwestern.
The Wolverines have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Wildcats.
In Evanston, the men in maize are 48-38 and have taken three of the last four matchups.
Northwestern’s last win at Welsh-Ryan Arena was a 76-62 victory on Feb. 22, 2024 — nearly two years ago.
In the lone meeting last season, led by head coach Dusty May, Vladislav Goldin scored a career-high 31 points as Michigan rallied past Northwestern 80-76 in overtime inside Crisler Arena.
After early shooting struggles, the Wolverines surged in the second half to force overtime at Crisler Center.
Both teams shot well at the free-throw line in overtime, but Michigan’s three made field goals compared to Northwestern’s 0-for-5 sealed the comeback.
Michigan improved to 22-1 following its dominant victory over its “all sport” rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 8).
The record is the best start in program history, surpassing the 20-1 mark set by the 2013 team (31-8; Final Four) and the 2019 team (30-7; Sweet 16).
With 12 Big Ten wins, Michigan has recorded 10 or more league victories in 13 of the past 15 seasons.
The Wolverines continue to build one of their most dominant seasons in program history, with 18 wins by 10 or more points, 12 by 20 or more, nine by 30 or more, seven by 40 or more (a Big Ten record), and one by 50 or more (a 102-50 win over La Salle).
Michigan’s eight 100-point games are tied for the second most in program history.
The team’s “Big Three” Yaxel Lendeborg (14.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game), Morez Johnson Jr. (13.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg), and Aday Mara (11.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg) combine for roughly 40% of Michigan’s offense and more than half of the team’s rebounding.
The “Big Three” have combined for 20 or more rebounds in six straight games, including a season-high 32 at Ohio State, where they outrebounded the Buckeyes’ entire team (31).
Mara has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games, highlighted by two 20-point performances, including a career-high 24 points at Ohio State, where he also made his first two career three-pointers.
Elliot Cadeau has recorded 14 assists with zero turnovers over his last two games — eight against Penn State and six at Ohio State.
He leads Michigan with 5.4 assists per game and has dished out six or more assists in five straight contests.
Last week, Nimari Burnett made nine three-pointers, accounting for nearly a quarter of his season total (39).
He opened the week by hitting a career-best seven against Penn State, finishing with a career-high 31 points.
Trey McKenney has embraced his role as Michigan’s “Sixth Man” in his first season, scoring in double figures in six straight games.
He averages 10.1 points in 20.9 minutes off the bench.