Worst to first: Michigan completes turnaround with Big Ten Tournament title

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Mar 16, 2025

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Wolverines let one Big Ten title slip through their fingers. They weren’t going to let that happen again.

Not this time.

No. 3 seed Michigan rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half and reeled off its third win in as many days, beating No. 5 seed Wisconsin, 59-53, in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tre Donaldson and Vlad Goldin each scored 11 points and made several clutch free throws in a closing 6-0 run in the final 46 seconds to help Michigan (25-9) capture its first conference tournament title since 2018 and fourth in program history.

The Wolverines accomplished the feat in coach Dusty May’s first year with a convincing win over No. 6 seed Purdue, a thrilling finish against No. 2 seed Maryland and a gutty win against Wisconsin, where they shot just 32.2% from the field.

Following an ugly first half that featured little offense and plenty of missed jump shots, the scoring slowly picked up. The Badgers were the first to find any sort of rhythm and made three consecutive shots, including a wide-open 3-pointer by Carter Gilmore on a defensive breakdown, to grab a 32-24 lead with 15:53 left.

A lid appeared to still be on the rim for the Wolverines. Over the first seven minutes of the second half, Michigan’s only offense came on a pair of 3-pointers from freshman LJ Cason off the bench.

Michigan entered dangerous territory, as fouls and trips to the free-throw line for Wisconsin began to stack up. Danny Wolf and Tre Donaldson both picked up their third foul. The Badgers used a string of six free throws to extend the margin to 38-27 with 13:11 to go.

The Wolverines chipped away at the deficit as the Badgers went over seven minutes with a made field goal. Will Tschetter canned a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run. Cason made two free throws — Michigan’s first attempts of the game — to cut it to 38-34.

The Badgers kept the Wolverines at bay until another 3-pointer by Tschetter kick-started a string of stops and made shots. Wolf scored on a reverse layup and a spinning finish in the lane on back-to-back possessions. Michigan knotted it at 45 with 5:50 remaining.

That triggered a back-and-forth stretch and a hectic finish. After John Tonje — Wisconsin’s leading scorer who went scoreless in the first half — threw down a dunk to make it a three-point game, Nimari Burnett drained a 3-pointer to even it up. Then after Steven Crowl made a deep ball to break the tie, Donaldson scored at the rim to cut it to 51-50 at the 3:32 mark.

Following a pair of stops, Michigan eventually broke through and pulled ahead when Donaldson connected on a 3-pointer for a 53-51 lead.

Wisconsin tied it back up on the ensuing possession when Max Klesmit was fouled during a scramble for a loose ball and made two free throws.

The Wolverines had three chances to regain the lead on their next trip. After missing two 3-pointers and Wisconsin batting the ball out both times, Michigan made the third opportunity count. Goldin drew a foul in the paint and made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 46 seconds to go.

Michigan held on from there. The Wolverines got a stop on Wisconsin’s next two possessions. Donaldson and Wolf combined for four free throws in the final 14 seconds to seal it.

John Blackwell scored 18 and Klesmit 12 for Wisconsin (26-9), which shot a season-low 22.1% from the field (15-for-68).

Michigan and Wisconsin both looked like teams that were playing with tired legs and dealing with fatigue. The Badgers, playing their fourth game in four days, missed one 3-pointer after another. The Wolverines, playing for the third time in 42 hours, had three turnovers and airballed a couple of 3-pointers early on.

Wisconsin missed 12 of its first 14 shots, with all but two of those attempts coming from 3-point range. Michigan got off to a 3-for-10 shooting start. The teams were deadlocked at 7 more than seven minutes into the game and went nearly five minutes without a made field goal between them.

Goldin snapped the lengthy drought with a hook shot in the paint and followed that up with a 3-pointer from straightaway during a rare burst of offense that gave Michigan a 12-7 edge at the 11:46 mark.

Blackwell put an end to a six-minute stretch between made baskets for Wisconsin with a corner 3-pointer. That sparked a 10-2 spurt fueled by Blackwell that gave the Badgers a 17-14 advantage.

Neither team could warm up offensively during a chilly first half. Both sides continued to miss shot after shot and go several minutes between baskets. Michigan couldn’t get anything to drop from outside or inside, with several layups rolling off the rim. Wisconsin kept chucking away from downtown with little success, even when getting clean looks and multiple cracks at it in a possession.

By the time halftime arrived with Wisconsin holding a slim 23-21 lead, both teams shot below 30% and went a combined 17 for 69 from the field, including a woeful 7 for 41 clip from 3-point range.

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