Michigan
29-2,19-1Big Ten
Michigan State
25-6,15-5Big Ten
Wolverines Cap Historic Regular Season with Senior Day Win Over No. 8 Michigan State
3/8/2026 9:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The third-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated eighth-ranked Michigan State, 90-80, on Sunday afternoon (March 8) at Crisler Center. The Wolverines used an 11-0 second-half run to regain the lead and never relinquished it, improving to 29-2 overall and 19-1 in Big Ten play. The victory came on Senior Day, as five U-M seniors were honored following the game and the team raised its 2026 Big Ten championship banner.
Leaders and Best
Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 27 points, his sixth 20-point performance of the season. He scored 19 of those points in the first half and tied a career high with five three-pointers. Morez Johnson Jr. added 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Trey McKenney finished with 12 points, all in the second half, and Nimari Burnett rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and five rebounds.
Turning Point
Michigan regained control midway through the second half with an 11-0 run that stretched over nearly four minutes. During that stretch, Michigan State missed three straight shots while the Wolverines converted multiple possessions to build a seven-point advantage. The run proved to be the final push Michigan needed, giving the Wolverines the lead for good.
Second Half
Michigan (29-2, 19-1 B1G) opened the second half with a basket from Johnson in the paint before Aday Mara followed with a spin move and dunk from the left block. Lendeborg added a three-pointer as the Wolverines kept pace early.
The teams traded baskets through the first eight minutes before the game was tied at 61 with 11:51 remaining.
Michigan then seized momentum with the 11-0 run, highlighted by McKenney scoring eight consecutive points. The surge pushed the Wolverines ahead 71-66 entering the final media timeout.
Lendeborg later hit his fifth three-pointer of the afternoon with 3:31 remaining to extend the lead to six.
Out of a timeout with 2:39 to play, Lendeborg connected with Johnson on an alley-oop dunk to push the advantage further. Michigan State failed to convert on its next three possessions while Michigan extended the lead at the free-throw line.
The Wolverines scored their final 12 points from the stripe to seal the 90-80 victory.
First Half
Michigan struggled early, missing its first seven field-goal attempts before Burnett connected on a corner three-pointer to open the scoring. The Wolverines followed with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a three from Elliot Cadeau, to take a 10-7 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the half.
Lendeborg later hit a three-pointer and Gayle added a fast-break layup as Michigan built a nine-point lead midway through the period. Michigan State answered with a stretch of five made field goals in six attempts to briefly take the lead late in the half.
Michigan closed the period with two key baskets. Lendeborg drove the lane for a score with 1:19 remaining, and Burnett followed with a three-pointer just before halftime to give the Wolverines a one-point advantage at the break.
What's Next
Michigan travels to Chicago, Ill., for the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center as the No. 1 seed. With a triple bye, the Wolverines will play their first tournament game Friday (March 13) at 11 a.m. CT on BTN.
Game Notes
• With the win, U-M collected its fifth regular-season victory against an AP Top 10 opponent, tying the program record for a single season with the 1964-65 team. Two of those wins came at home and three on the road, all against Big Ten opponents.
• The 2025-26 team set a new Big Ten record for conference wins in a season with 19. The previous best of 18 was set twice by Indiana in 1974-75 and 1975-76.
• Michigan holds the third-highest point differential in regular-season Big Ten play all-time at +301. The 1974-75 Indiana team posted a +410 differential, while the 1960-61 Ohio State team recorded +302.
• The 2025-26 team set a new program record for wins in a season with 29. The previous mark was 27 by the 1985-86 Big Ten championship team.
• This season marks the first regular-season sweep of Michigan State since the 2013-14 team. After a 12-point win at Breslin Center earlier this year, the Wolverines finished the series with a combined margin of victory of +22, the largest regular-season sweep margin since the 1996-97 team won both meetings by a combined 33 points.
• Michigan moves to 3-3 all-time against Michigan State when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10. All six meetings have come in three seasons (2012-13, 2018-19, 2025-26).
• Michigan finished the regular season with 14 wins at Crisler Center in 15 games. Thirteen of those victories came by double digits, including eight in conference play. Across all 15 home games, Michigan posted an average margin of victory of +21.3 points.
• The Wolverines scored 90 points against Michigan State at Crisler Center for the first time since Feb. 8, 1975, when Michigan scored 96 in a 12-point victory. Including Sunday, there have been just five games of 90 or more points against the Spartans at home.
• Gayle scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and for the first time since the home game against USC on Jan. 2. It also marked his highest scoring output since recording 17 points against Auburn on Nov. 25.
• Johnson, Burnett and Cadeau started all 31 regular-season games for Michigan.
