Michigan
14-1,4-1Big Ten
Wisconsin
11-5,3-2Big Ten
Wisconsin Hands Michigan First Loss of Season
1/10/2026 5:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The second-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team saw its unbeaten start come to an end, falling 91-88 to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10) at the Crisler Center in a back-and-forth contest that featured five second-half lead changes.
Leaders and Best
Elliot Cadeau scored a team-high 19 points, all in the second half, to lead Michigan (14-1, 4-1 Big Ten). He finished with six field goals, two three-pointers, a perfect 5-for-5 mark at the free-throw line and three assists. Morez Johnson Jr. added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a three-pointer, while also going 5-for-6 at the line. Yaxel Lendeborg continued his steady play with 14 points and six rebounds, posting a team-best plus-8. Nimari Burnett rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on two triples.
Second Half
Michigan opened the second half with a basket from Aday Mara, but Wisconsin (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) quickly answered and took its first lead of the game on a three-pointer. The Badgers hit five threes early in the half, pushing the Wolverines into their largest home deficit of the season at five points.
Cadeau carried the offense out of halftime, scoring 12 of Michigan's first 18 second-half points to keep the Wolverines within striking distance. His three-pointer at the 13:17 mark tied the game at 65, his 17th point in the opening seven minutes of the half.
Michigan forced three turnovers in less than three minutes and converted them into seven points, retaking the lead at 10:50 on a Lendeborg jumper in the paint. A brief field-goal drought followed, but Michigan stayed close at the line before Lendeborg ended the stretch with a driving layup at the 5:40 mark.
Burnett's dunk tied the game at 81 with just over five minutes remaining, and after a defensive stop, Roddy Gayle Jr. drained a three from the left corner to give Michigan an 84-83 lead with 4:08 to play. Gayle scored again moments later following a series of missed shots by both teams.
Down two in the final 1:08, Michigan forced a contested Wisconsin three, but a potential game-tying putback by Mara was waved off for goaltending. Wisconsin converted two free throws to extend the lead to four, and Michigan's final three-point attempt to force overtime missed as time expired.
First Half
Michigan controlled the early minutes, opening with baskets from Mara, Burnett and Lendeborg to build a 7-3 lead. An and-one by Lendeborg and a Johnson dunk helped push the advantage to 13-6 at the under-16 media timeout.
Back-to-back threes from Trey McKenney and Lendeborg stretched the lead to 11 and forced a Wisconsin timeout. The Wolverines maintained the margin before Wisconsin trimmed it with a 5-0 run. Michigan responded with a 6-0 spurt highlighted by paint finishes from Johnson and free throws from Lendeborg.
Johnson scored four straight baskets, including a three, to reach double figures midway through the half. Wisconsin closed the gap late as Michigan went scoreless for more than three minutes, pulling within one point, 38-37, at the break after Michigan ran down the final possession.
What's Next
Michigan heads to the Pacific Northwest next week, beginning a two-game road swing at Washington in Seattle on Wednesday night (Jan. 14). Tipoff at Alaska Airlines Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. PT, with coverage on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• The loss snapped Michigan's best start to a season since 2018-19, marking the fourth time in program history the Wolverines have won at least 14 straight games before their first loss.
• Wisconsin became the first opponent in more than nine years to make 15 or more three-pointers against Michigan, dating back to UCLA on Dec. 10, 2016.
• Gayle Jr. scored his 500th career point as a Wolverine on a drive with 11:49 remaining in the second half.
• Cadeau's 19 points matched his career high, previously set against Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 2, 2024.
• Burnett is three points shy of 1,000 for his career, having scored 129 points through 15 games this season.
• Michigan shot 90.0 percent from the free-throw line for the second time this season, converting 22-of-24 attempts.
