Michigan
Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
U-M's Postseason Journey Begins with Defense of B1G Tourney Title
3/11/2026 10:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
• Tournament Central | Dusty May Press Conference (March 9)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Big Ten regular-season champion and third-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) will open postseason play in Chicago, Ill., as it looks to defend its 2025 Big Ten Tournament title. The top-seeded Wolverines earned a triple bye in the expanded field and will begin play Friday (March 13) in the quarterfinals at the United Center. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering, Don MacLean and Rick Pizzo on the call.
Big Ten Tournament Quick Notes
• Michigan has won four Big Ten Tournament titles (1998, 2017, 2018, 2025).
• U-M is one of three teams in conference history to win back-to-back tournament titles (2017, 2018). In fact, the Wolverines won four games in four days to capture consecutive titles.
• Michigan is the lowest seed to win the tournament, capturing the 2017 title as the No. 8 seed.
• U-M has earned the No. 1 seed three times (2014, 2021, 2026).
• Michigan holds the tournament record with 10 straight wins from 2017 to 2019.
Notes
• In Dusty May's first season, Michigan won three games in three days to capture the program's fourth tournament title (1998, 2017, 2018, 2025). Vladislav Goldin was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while Danny Wolf earned All-Tournament Team honors.
• After a double bye, the No. 3-seeded Wolverines opened the tournament with an 86-68 quarterfinal win over No. 6 seed Purdue. Tre Donaldson's end-to-end layup in the closing seconds lifted Michigan to an 81-80 semifinal win over No. 2 seed Maryland. Trailing by 11 in the second half against No. 5 seed Wisconsin, U-M rallied and outscored the Badgers 32-15 over the final 12 minutes to secure a 59-53 championship victory.
• With a 29-2 record, Michigan has produced one of the most dominant seasons in program history, posting 24 wins by 10+ points, 13 by 20+, 10 by 30+, seven by 40+ (a Big Ten Conference record), and one by 50+./
• Following its 84-70 win at 10th-ranked Illinois (Feb. 27), Michigan secured the outright 2026 Big Ten regular-season title, its first since 2021. The championship marks U-M's 16th regular-season title.
• With a 90-80 win over eighth-ranked Michigan State (March 8), Michigan set the conference record for most league wins in a season with 19. Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball previously held the mark with 18 wins in back-to-back seasons (1974-75 and 1975-76), finishing 36-0 in conference play across those two years.
• Michigan finished a perfect 10-0 in Big Ten road games, becoming just the second conference team -- and the first in 50 years -- to complete league road play unbeaten, joining Indiana's 9-0 mark during its perfect 1975-76 season.
• This season, U-M is the first Big Ten team to win at Michigan State's Breslin Center (83-71), Purdue's Mackey Arena (91-80) and Illinois' State Farm Center (84-70) in the same season since Iowa in 2015-16.
• Michigan closed the regular season amid a demanding 11-game, 38-day stretch that featured seven road contests, five matchups against top-10 opponents, and a neutral-site showdown with Duke in Washington, D.C.
• Over the last four games, Trey McKenney has hit 9-of-19 three-point attempts (47.3%), leads Michigan with 52 three-pointers and has knocked down 19 consecutive free throws.
• Elliot Cadeau has appeared in 105 consecutive games without missing one in his career and leads Michigan with 171 assists (5.5 per game), recording five or more assists in 12 of the last 13 contests. He has made 48 three-pointers this season — surpassing the 39 he made during his career at North Carolina -- and is 77 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career (923).
• Nimari Burnett has played in and started 100 straight games at Michigan without missing one. He needs one more three-pointer to record his third straight season with 50 or more triples and is 88 points away from 1,000 at U-M (912), while already totaling 1,127 career collegiate points.
• Aday Mara is 24-for-30 from the field (80.0%) and 9-for-9 at the free-throw line over the last five games. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 13 of his last 14 contests and needs 20 blocks to become the first Wolverine to record 100 blocks in a season (currently 80).
• Morez Johnson Jr. is 4-for-7 from three-point range (57.1%) over the last three games and has recorded five or more rebounds in 13 of his last 16 outings, including five 10-rebound performances. He has seven double-doubles this season, with his last three coming against top-10 opponents.
