Winning the Big Ten championship wouldn't have felt quite right without a win over Illinois, so it was fitting that Michigan basketball clinched the outright championship in Champaign on Friday night with an 84-70 win.
Much like the Purdue game and even the Michigan State game, outside of a few moments and a few runs, the Wolverines controlled the game, especially in the second half.
If the wins at Michigan State and Purdue earlier this season were the best of Dusty May's regular-season coaching career, this win over Illinois surpassed them.
Michigan basketball had to answer if it could beat a team like Illinois, a team with 3-point shooters everywhere, that's elite on the offensive glass. Outside of Duke, this was probably the most difficult matchup in the country for the Wolverines, and they passed with flying colors.
Michigan basketball dominates Illinois on way to Big Ten championship
Aday Mara dominated the second half on both ends. He couldn't be stopped, whether it was his low-post scoring or his passing. The Wolverines have two of the best playmakers in the Big Ten, and it showed on Friday with Elliot Cadeau and Mara.
Morez Johnson finished with a double-double (19 and 11). Mara scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had two assists. Cadeau finished with seven points and five assists, but his impact felt much bigger.
Defense won the game. Yaxel Lendeborg made Keaton Wagler work for all of his points, and nobody else could get anything going. Illinois made 31 percent of its 3-point attempts. Michigan made 36 percent.
The Wolverines made 62 percent of their 2-point attempts compared to 50 percent for Illinois. The Fighting Illini grabbed one more offensive rebound, but Michigan won the battles it needed to. Morez Johnson lived up to being the shark in shark-infested waters, and for the first time since the 2020-21 season, Michigan is the Big Ten champion.
That team didn't beat Illinois. This one did, and it will make hanging that Big Ten title banner even sweeter.