Purdue Beats Michigan to Win 2026 Big Ten Title, Eyed by CBB Fans as March Madness Sleeper

Purdue upset Michigan 80-72 behind big performances from senior starters Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff to win the Big Ten tournament championship Sunday, knocking off the No. 1 seed.

TKR finished with 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding three rebounds and a steal to help lift the Purdue Boilermakers to the impressive win.

Big man Oscar Cluff added 21 points, five rebounds and a block after dominating the paint and controlling the game on both ends of the court.

Braden Smith stepped up with a big performance in a foreign No. 41 jersey, finishing with 14 points while making several key plays. He added 11 assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block. Fletcher Loyer also chipped in 14 points and five assists.

A Michigan bucket at the halftime buzzer tied the game at 38 heading into the break. Nimari Burnett led the Wolverines with 10 points, while Yaxel Lendeborg and Elliot Cadeau each added seven. 

For Purdue, Oscar Cluff and Fletcher Loyer paced the Boilermakers with nine points apiece at halftime.

Purdue came out firing to start the second half, building a 14-point lead and putting Michigan on its heels as the clock began to wind down.

The Wolverines struggled to find answers for Purdue's offense as the Boilermakers closed out the upset victory and now await their placement in the NCAA tournament bracket.