Michigan
22-7,14-4Big Ten
Illinois
19-11,11-8Big Ten
U-M Can’t Overcome Dominant Illinois Offense on Senior Day
3/2/2025 7:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team tied the game early in the second half, but Illinois pulled away with a 52-32 run, handing the Wolverines a 93-73 loss on Senior Day on Sunday (March 2) at Crisler Center.
Leaders and Best
Vladislav Goldin was the only Wolverine to score in double figures. He recorded his ninth game of 20-plus points, finishing with 22 points on 11-for-15 shooting while adding seven rebounds.
Second Half
Trailing at halftime, Michigan (22-7, 14-4 B1G) quickly regained the lead 30 seconds into the second half with a Goldin hook shot. Illinois (19-11, 11-8 B1G) and Michigan traded baskets before a three-pointer from Will Tschetter and a layup from Goldin put the Wolverines ahead 39-38 with 16:59 remaining.
Roddy Gayle Jr. tied the game at 41-41 just 54 seconds later after Illinois briefly reclaimed the lead. That would be as close as Michigan would get, as Illinois responded with an 8-0 run to go up 49-41 with 13:18 left. The Illini capitalized on second-chance opportunities and three-pointers to extend their advantage. Each time the Wolverines attempted to build momentum, Illinois countered with timely threes, ultimately outscoring Michigan 62-43 in the second half.
First Half
A three-pointer from Tre Donaldson gave Michigan a 5-2 lead four minutes into the game. Illinois responded with five straight points to take its first lead of the afternoon at 10-7 with 13:34 left in the first half.
The teams went back and forth for the first 10 minutes until Illinois knocked down consecutive three-pointers to push its lead to seven, 20-13, with 10:25 remaining before the break.
Illinois maintained its lead until the four-minute mark when Goldin and Danny Wolf hit back-to-back buckets to pull Michigan within three, 26-23. The Illini quickly responded, extending their lead to six on two occasions and holding a 31-26 advantage with 2:06 left in the half.
A three-pointer from Nimari Burnett cut Michigan's deficit to three (31-28), and after neither team scored for nearly two minutes, a layup from Wolf at the buzzer brought the Wolverines within one at halftime, 31-30.
What's Next
Michigan will host Maryland for its final home game of the season on Wednesday (March 5). Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• Michigan honored four senior players pregame: Goldin, Rubin Jones, Ian Burns, and Jace Howard.
• The team also honored managers Mia Cohen, Avi Shapira, Ben Silberman, Ryan Lee, Sabrina Wohl, Kevin Everhart, and Mike Lomonoco.
• Three communications/public relations interns for men's basketball were recognized on the videoboard during the game: Rick Villarreal, Matt Mahoney, and Shira Black.
