Michigan
12-0,2-0Big Ten
McNeese
10-3,3-1Southland
Michigan Sets Big Ten History in Year-End Victory Over McNeese
12/29/2025 11:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The second-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team rolled past McNeese 112-71 in the final home non-conference game of the season on Monday night (Dec. 29) at Crisler Center. Tonight's win marks the sixth victory of 40 points or more this season, the most in Big Ten history.
Leaders and Best
Morez Johnson Jr. led the way for the Wolverines with his second double-double of the season and fifth in his career, posting 24 points (tying his career high) and 11 rebounds. Yaxel Lendeborg added 16 points and eight rebounds. Aday Mara added a balanced line of 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Trey McKenney contributed 13 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Nimari Burnett poured in another 12 points, including two three-pointers. Roddy Gayle Jr. completed U-M's double-digit scorers with 10 points.
First Half
The Wolverines (12-0) got off to a hot start, led by a Johnson Jr. bucket off the tip and followed by a Lendeborg up-and-around and-one. Burnett joined the early attack and hit a three-pointer from the left side to go up 7-0 in the first 58 seconds. A fast-break layup by Lendeborg brought the lead to nine points, which forced an early McNeese (10-3) timeout with 17:05 to go.
The Wolverines scored on eight of their first 10 shots in the first six minutes of play, including two baskets while being fouled. Six Wolverines scored by the under-12 media timeout, with Johnson leading the way with eight. U-M did not commit a turnover until the 11:31 mark and did not commit a foul until the 10:13 mark. The Wolverines spent nearly the final 10 minutes of the first half in the bonus, and the last eight in the double-bonus, converting six straight free throws during that stretch. The lead grew to 20 out of the under-eight timeout off a Lendeborg three-pointer which put him in double digits after just nine minutes of play. A flagrant foul was assessed on a Cowboys defender, followed shortly by a technical foul assessed to the McNeese coach with 5:11 to play. A Mara layup continued a 12-2 U-M run and brought the Wolverines to 50 first-half points for the sixth time in seven games. Michigan took a 60-29 lead going into halftime, McNeese's first double-digit halftime deficit of the season.
Second Half
Mara reached double digits with the first bucket out of the break, the first of three straight scores before a McNeese timeout. Lendeborg's slam with contact at the rim out of the timeout marked six consecutive fast-break points. Burnett and Elliot Cadeau splashed three-pointers on consecutive possessions, with the defense allowing just one point scored by McNeese and the offense scoring 16 points in the four minutes to start the second half. The Wolverines kept their foot on the gas, with an alley-opp from Mara dished by L.J. Cason and a Gayle three-pointer on the next possession to build the lead to 46, 78-32. The scoring continued, with Michigan taking its second lead of 50 points this season, 88-37, with 11:27 to go. Will Tschetter dished to Burnett for a driving slam, reaching the 100-point mark for the sixth time in seven games. Malick Kordel added two buckets of his own, one a layup and the other an alley-oop assisted by Oscar Goodman, before the team finished at their second-highest point total of the season of 112 points.
What's Next
The Wolverines tip off 2026 on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. when USC visits Crisler Center. The game will be streamed live on Peacock.
Notes
• 12-0 is Michigan's best start since the 2018-19 season.
• With a 100-point performance, the 2025-26 team joins the 1989-90 and 1965-66 squads with seven 100-point games, tied for fourth most in program history. The 2025-26 team took just 12 games to accomplish the feat.
Tonight's win was Michigan's third straight 100-point performance, tying the program record for consecutive 100-point games for the second time this season.
• Michigan scored 60 points in the first half for just the second time this season, despite making only four three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
• Michigan has now scored 50 points or more in 12-of-24 halves this season, including a streak of seven such halves in the last five games.
• Michigan made more free throws (31) than McNeese made field goals (23).
