The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines survived the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans, 90-80, on Sunday, capping off their historic season. Michigan moved to 29-2 overall and 19-1 in Big Ten play after the win.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
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Bigs in early foul trouble leads to Michigan State dominating the paint
The Wolverines have been able to dominate in the paint and in transition all season long, but on Sunday, it was Michigan State who had the edge to catch Michigan out of rhythm.
While the Spartans shot a respectable 6-for-18 from three-point range, most of their damage came inside the paint, scoring 40 of their 80 points down low. A big reason for the success was due to the Wolverines’ bigs getting into early foul trouble, as Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. picked up two first-half fouls.
As a result, Mara played just six minutes in the first half, while Johnson played for 12 minutes, forcing Michigan to consistently put out smaller lineups. The second half didn’t get much better, as Mara picked up his third foul at the 15:39 mark and Johnson was tagged for his third foul just moments later.
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Rather than risk the lead slipping away with both on the bench, head coach Dusty May elected to play Johnson and Mara on a rotation, keeping one on the court at all times. As a result, both became hugely impactful without the fear of both getting kicked out of the game. Johnson played a lot more aggressively in the second half, tacking on 11 second-half points on 5-for-10 shooting, bringing his total to 18 to go along with seven rebounds. Mara scored four points and had seven rebounds.
All in all, Michigan’s depth showed out once again in crunch time. But when the bigs are on the floor, the Wolverines are practically unstoppable.
Three technicals called in the first half
The referees had a big test on their hands with officiating this rivalry game, and they made it known early that excessive play would not be tolerated.
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At the 14:24 mark of the first half, Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. picked up a technical foul for kicking Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau between the legs. Then, Michigan was called for two separate technical fouls later in the first half, first on freshman guard Trey McKenney for touching the ball when it was being inbounded, and another on Mara for pushing Carson Cooper to the floor on a rebound attempt.
The calls didn’t stop there. At the 15:39 mark of the second half, Mara was dinged for his third foul of the game, this time being a flagrant foul as Fears looked to push a fast-break off of a turnover. In total, we saw 35 fouls called, including three technicals and one flagrant.
Yaxel Lendeborg cannot be stopped
With Mara and Johnson on the bench for most of the first half, Yaxel Lendeborg erupted for his best game of the season. May asked Lendeborg to sit for a total of 30 seconds in the first half, and the UAB transfer answered the call by tallying 19 points and three rebounds, converting 3-for-4 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes of the game.
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Lendeborg continued his dominant stretch into the second half. Adding two more threes, a dunk, an ankle-breaker and a few blocks. He finished with 27 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. show up on Senior Day
Very rarely have Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. been asked to play the 4 and the 5 in their time at Michigan, but desperate times called for desperate measures on Sunday. Nonetheless, they delivered some big minutes, being the perfect supporting cast to Lendeborg.
Burnett looked like his old self, draining two corner threes while being extremely aggressive on the boards, securing five rebounds. He finished his final game in Crisler Center with eight points.
Meanwhile, Gayle continued to step up in the absence of L.J. Cason, getting to double figures at the 10:32 mark of the second half, his first game in double figures since Michigan’s win over USC on Jan. 2. Gayle concluded his college career on a high note, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Trey McKenney leads second half run with eight consecutive points
Holding onto a two-point lead with about 10 minutes to go, freshman Trey McKenney checked back into the game with just two points on the stat sheet. After a bit of back-and-forth, he stepped into a corner three. On the next possession, he put his head down and got to the free throw line. Two possessions later, he converted a transition three.
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In two minutes, McKenney had almost single-handily led a 15-4 run, extending Michigan’s lead to seven in a pivotal moment of the game.
