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Zach Edey matches season high with 35 points to help No. 3 Purdue bounce back and beat Michigan 84-76

The Boilermakers are closing in on a conference championship, building a 2 1/2-game lead over No. 12 Illinois with three regular-season games left on their schedule.
Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Purdue center Zach Edey (15) reacts to a basket against Michigan during an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Zach Edey matched his season high with 35 points and had 15 rebounds, helping No. 3 Purdue bounce back from a rough start to beat Michigan 84-76 on Sunday.

The Boilermakers (25-3, 14-3 Big Ten) are closing in on a conference championship, building a 2 1/2-game lead over No. 12 Illinois with three regular-season games left on their schedule.

The Wolverines (8-20, 3-14) moved closer to clinching last place in the Big Ten with their fifth straight loss and 10th setback in 11 games under embattled coach Juwan Howard.

Michigan saw about half of its arena filled with black-and-gold-wearing fans chanting and cheering for the visitors, eight days after Michigan State fans in the stands made it look and sound as if the Wolverines were playing on the road.

Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Purdue center Zach Edey dunks on Michigan forward Will Tschetter during an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.

Dug McDaniel had 19 points and six assists for the Wolverines, who had four more scorers reach double digits.

The 7-foot-4 Edey made 14 of 18 shots and scored 35 points for the third time this season, falling three short of equaling his career high.

As usual, Edey had a few teammates contributing offensively. Lance Jones scored 15, Braden Smith had 11 points and Fletcher Loyer added nine.

Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Purdue center Zach Edey shoots over Michigan forward Tarris Reed Jr. during an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024

The Wolverines played well early in the game and led 22-15 before Purdue took control for good, surging into a 47-36 lead at halftime.

Michigan pulled within seven points midway through the second half, Edey answered with consecutive layups and the Boilermakers were able to keep a relatively comfortable cushion.

Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
Michigan forward Tarris Reed Jr. shoots over Purdue center Zach Edey during an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: Edey had another dominant performance, perhaps increasing his chances to repeat as The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year.

Michigan: Howard has a chance to set a single-season school record for losses, faring worse than John Beilein's first team did with a 10-22 record during the 2007-08 season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Boilermakers might move up Monday in the AP Top 25 because they also routed Rutgers 96-68 and top-ranked UConn lost by 19 points to Creighton.

UP NEXT

Purdue: Hosts Michigan State on Saturday night.

Michigan: At Rutgers on Thursday night.

No. 3 Purdue 84, Michigan 76

PURDUE (25-3) — Kaufman-Renn 2-4 0-0 4, Edey 14-18 7-11 35, Jones 6-12 0-2 15, Loyer 3-8 2-2 9, B.Smith 3-14 4-4 11, Gillis 3-9 0-0 8, Heide 1-2 0-0 2, Morton 0-1 0-0 0, C.Furst 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 32-68 13-19 84.

MICHIGAN (8-20) — Reed 1-2 0-0 2, Tschetter 4-6 1-1 10, Williams 4-9 3-5 11, Burnett 5-9 0-0 12, McDaniel 7-20 3-3 19, Howard 3-5 1-2 8, Jackson 4-8 0-0 10, Washington 1-1 1-2 4, Khayat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 29-60 9-13 76.

Halftime—Purdue 47-36. 3-Point Goals—Purdue 7-24 (Jones 3-7, Gillis 2-5, Loyer 1-5, B.Smith 1-5, Heide 0-1, Morton 0-1), Michigan 9-21 (Jackson 2-3, Burnett 2-4, McDaniel 2-7, Tschetter 1-1, Washington 1-1, Howard 1-3, Williams 0-2). Fouled Out—Reed, Tschetter. Rebounds—Purdue 40 (Edey 15), Michigan 24 (Reed 7). Assists—Purdue 18 (B.Smith 11), Michigan 12 (McDaniel 6). Total Fouls—Purdue 15, Michigan 22.

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