The Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball swept through the 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, winning four games in four days to cut down the nets at United Center in Chicago. Purdue defeated the No. 1-seed Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball 80-72 on Sunday to claim its third conference tournament title.
The Boilermakers, which became the first conference team to win the tournament as a 7-seed, previously won the Big Ten postseason extravaganza in 2009 and 2023. Michigan missed its chance to repeat as tournament champs, and they dropped to 31-3 this season.
Senior guard Braden Smith, who was named the most valuable player of the tournament, controlled the action for much of the game and led the Boilers’ attack. The all-Big Ten selection recorded 14 points, 11 assists, and three steals against Michigan, all while logging 38 minutes without committing a turnover.
The two senior big men, frontcourt mates Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn, controlled the action down low, especially in the second half. After halftime, the two combined to go 10-for-14 from the field, and turned a tie game at the break in Purdue’s favor. Cluff finished with a game-high 21 points, and Kaufman-Renn added 20.
Up next for the Boilermakers, now 27-8 overall, is the first round of the NCAA tournament. Purdue will face Queens University, which will be making its March Madness debut, in the West Regional on Friday in St. Louis.
Entering the title game against Michigan, the pundits on television stressed the need for Purdue to at least hold its own down low. The Wolverines boast a massive frontcourt, featuring 6’9″ Yaxel Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and 7’3″ Aday Mara. While the Boilers were, in fact, outrebounded on Sunday, the difference was not prohibitive as Michigan gathered just four more boards against Purdue.
In the two teams’ only regular-season matchup, the Wolverines outrebounded the Boilermakers, 39-31.
During the portions of the game, both teams struggled to find their way offensively. The two squads shot an identical 37% (7-for-19) through the first twelve minutes. Michigan’s largest lead of the game was six at 32-26, and it came after a Morez Johnson, Jr. free throw with 3:14 left until the break.
From there, Purdue went on a 9-0 run, highlighted by two buckets from Kaufman-Renn, a Jack Benter bomb from distance, and a Smith midrange jumper. The Wolverines battled back and knotted the score at 38 with an Elliot Cadeau layup with one second to spare.
After the halftime break, the Boilermakers broke down the locker room doors to attack Michigan. Purdue opened up the first 2:15 of the second half with a 7-0 run, giving them their largest lead of the game to that point.
After the Wolverines stopped that current run to make it 45-40, Michigan would not get any closer for the remainder of the game. A 17-9 spurt by Purdue made the score 62-49 with just under ten minutes remaining, and the Boilermakers made eight straight field goals during that stretch.
Much of the damage during that span was thanks to the combination of Smith and Kaufman-Renn. Their two-man game, which had Smith either dump a pocket pass to his forward or drive for a layup, proved unstoppable.
With the score 74-65, Wolverine guard Trey McKenney missed a three-pointer. Benter eventually found Cluff all alone at the other end for a thunderous dunk with 1:17 remaining to salt the game away.
The championship is especially sweet for the triumvirate of seniors Smith, Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer. The three remained with Purdue for all four of their years, a rarity in today’s day and age of college basketball. After winning the Big Ten tournament as freshmen, they once again were able to taste victory in their last years of eligibility.
Smith, the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, is not at a loss for accolades. When all is said and done following his final collegiate game, his name will litter the Boilermaker record book.
All season long, one record has been hovering over Smith like no other. Entering the 2025-26 season, he had 758 career assists and was within striking distance of Bobby Hurley‘s all-time assist record of 1,076. The record has stood since Hurley’s last game in 1994, and it appeared to be one of the hardest to break.
After Sunday’s game, Hurley will undoubtedly need to prepare for being replaced.
Smith passed out 11 assists against Michigan, and he now stands at 1,075 assists, and he is just one helper away from tying the mark. That milestone should occur sometime before the first media timeout on Friday.
After beginning the season as the nation’s preseason #1 team, Purdue won 17 of their first 18 games. From that point in their campaign, the Boilers went 6-7 in games played before the conference tournament. As the 7-seed, Purdue was forced to play four games to win the championship.
As the saying goes, “What is past is prologue.” Everything that has happened has led the Boilermakers to this juncture, and they have a wealth of confidence going into their first regional game. Purdue is choosing the right time to get hot, and Boiler Nation hopes their current four-game winning streak extends to ten at the Final Four.
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