IOWA CITY, IOWA – No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) made history in their road victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9 Big Ten) following a gritty 71-68 victory.
With the victory on Thursday (March 5), Michigan finished the regular season undefeated in true road games for the first time since joining the Big Ten in 1917 by improving to 11-0.
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Yaxel Lendeborg finished the game with 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block, while teammate Morez Johnson Jr. added 16 points and eight rebounds in the historic victory.
Wolverines head coach Dusty May described how they secured the victory.
“We got timely stops, and we made plays when we needed to, and I thought we were able to get them stretched out in the second half and put a little more pressure at the rim with our cuts and whatnot, and our guys executed and made plays at the biggest moments like they always do.”
Dusty May
Michigan’s 18th conference win is tied for the most in the Big Ten all-time, tying the 1974-75 Indiana Hoosiers during the 18-game era.
Since moving to a 20-game schedule during the 2018-2019 season, the Wisconsin Badgers (2021-22), the Illinois Fighting Illini (2021-22), and the Purdue Boilermakers (2022-23) have all finished with an 18-2 record.
The Wolverines have a chance to make history again as they host the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday (March 8) at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor at 4:30 p.m.
Although a joyous moment in Iowa City, Michigan, the team blew a 10-point lead late in the second half, and they finished the game with 18 turnovers in their first matchup without backup point guard L.J. Cason, who was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
“Early on, we knew how tough they were going to be. They were physical and handsy and getting deflections and so we reminded our guys in the huddle that we were going to have to find a lot of different ways to win if we’re going to do what we’re supposed to do, so this was a game that we knew it was going to be mud wrestling at times and our guys showed once again, no matter what the game needs, that’s what they are willing to do and find a way.”
Dusty May
Speaking on being undefeated on the road this season, May said, “We’re even more connected on the road than we are at home because these guys have a belief in each other, and we told them before we came out on the court before the game, this is the first time in 50 years that a team has an opportunity to go through a Big Ten road slate undefeated and I said, ‘It probably wont ever happen again due to the parity of college basketball and how it’s shaping up.’ It’s a testament to how these guys played together and having different guys stepping up at different times on different nights.”
Thursday’s road game was Michigan’s seventh road game in its last 10 outings as part of an 11-game stretch over 38 days that included seven road contests, five games against top-10 opponents, and a neutral-site game against Duke in Washington, D.C.
Michigan holds a 101-68 all-time record against Iowa, and has won only three of the last five meetings.
In Iowa City, the men in maize are 39-42 following the pivotal road victory.