NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Michigan vs. Purdue

A thriller in the Big Ten developed between Michigan and Purdue; let’s look at what happened.

This previous college basketball season was clearly stunted by the national pandemic, which stole away the NCAA Tournament and much of the postseason play. Still, there were fantastic teams, games, and moments that we witnessed. In our next of our top 40 games from the 2019-20 season, we’ll look closely at one of the most thrilling games from Big Ten play.

19. #19 Michigan 84, Purdue 78, 2 OT

January 9, 2020, Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan

This past season, the competitive play in the Big Ten was one of the more incredible stories in conference play. Had the NCAA Tournament had happened, it’s possible that ten teams from the Big Ten could have been selected and nearly every matchup all season was competitive and intriguing. Some of those games delivered more than others.

Michigan was certainly transitioning during coach Juwan Howard’s first season leading the Wolverines, but they were also exceeding expectations. The Wolverines had won the Battle 4 Atlantis, though had dropped four games since that big early-season streak. In their most recent game, they had lost on the road at Michigan State and been overmatched, leaving a home date with Purdue as a solid chance to get back on track.

For the Boilermakers, replacing Carsen Edwards was an impossible task after what he had done for the program the previous year. They had gotten some great play from big man Matt Haarms and forward Trevion Williams among others, but entered play at just 9-6. They had just been handed a horrific loss on the road at Illinois and needed a bounce-back effort just as badly as the Wolverines.

Both teams needed that bounce back and both teams came to play, leading to what became a pretty tight back and forth affair. Jon Teske had eight early points for the Wolverines, though neither team could grab a sizeable lead in the first half. Every time Purdue scored, Michigan would have an answer and vice versa. Zavier Simpson’s layup in the final seconds gave the Wolverines a 4-point halftime lead, one of the largest leads to that point.

A slow second-half start for the Wolverines saw Purdue gain the advantage. For the Boilermakers, Isaiah Thompson caught fire, with 12 points in the first six minutes of the half. That included back-to-back 3-pointers that made Purdue’s lead as high as six, though Michigan had the answer. They got a pair of keys shots from Brandon Johns Jr. to stay right there.

With eight minutes left in the half, the game was tied again as the teams continued to trade baskets. A 6-point spurt from Teske helped Michigan grab a lead, but it wouldn’t last. A 3-pointer from Trevion Williams gave Purdue the lead with just over a minute left, but the teams would trade baskets down the stretch. Simpson and Williams swapped buckets on the final possessions, and the game went to overtime, tied at 62.

Four quick Michigan points were answered with four quick ones from Purdue. After this, the overtime period slowed down, as both teams missed shots down the stretch. Again, it was Williams and Simpson coming up clutch, as both hit shots in the final minute that their teams desperately needed. After Purdue failed to score on two chances, Simpson’s 3-pointer missed at the buzzer, and the game barreled into double overtime.

This period was a much more offensive affair down the stretch, as Michigan took over the game. Teske connected on an and-1, while Simpson and Franz Wagner hit big 3-pointers to give the Wolverines a stunning 9-point lead, the largest of the game for either team. A few minutes later, Purdue pulled to within 4 points, but would never get closer than that.

Purdue got 36 points and 20 rebounds from Williams in a phenomenal effort, but the Boilermakers just couldn’t answer offensively in the second overtime. Simpson’s 22 points led the way for the Wolverines, who outshot Purdue but missed nine free throws as well. Purdue was actually more fruitful from the 3-point line, but it was those long-range shots in double overtime that allowed Michigan to pull away with the much-needed win.

This Purdue team was not as talented as in previous seasons and struggled a bit in Big Ten play. They’d still pull off a number of big wins, including a smoking of Michigan State in their very next game. However, the Boilermakers wound up just 16-15 and tied for 10th place in a deep Big Ten. This wasn’t their season to be a national contender, but they still put forth a fantastic effort in some of the biggest games.

As for Michigan, they fared little better than the Boilermakers, finishing 9th place in the Big Ten. Michigan was likely an NCAA Tournament team and did get revenge a month later on those Spartans who had beaten them up.

Regardless of where these two teams fell in the standings of a very deep conference, this double-overtime thriller was one of the tightest games of the entire Big Ten slate and really showcased the talents of Trevion Williams. Expect both these teams to continue to contend in the Big Ten moving forward and who knows what some new talent could bring this upcoming season.