Four games. Four days. One Big Ten championship.
The Purdue Boilermakers defeated top-seeded Michigan 80-72 at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday to win the 2026 Big Ten Tournament championship. Purdue became the first No. 7 seed in tournament history to win the event, and it is the program's third Big Ten Tournament title.
Behind dominant performances from Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Braden Smith, Matt Painter's squad overcame foul trouble, a halftime tie, and the Big Ten's Player of the Year to cut down the nets.
Hours later, the Boilermakers learned they earned a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Purdue will face No. 15 seed Queens in the first round in the West Region, where Arizona is the No. 1 seed. It marks the 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the program and the ninth consecutive year Purdue has been seeded No. 4 or better.
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Oscar Cluff led Purdue with 21 points, 12 of which came in the second half. He played the final 5:31 with four fouls, a gutsy move by Painter that paid off. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 20 points after battling foul trouble of his own in the first half. Fletcher Loyer chipped in 14.
Braden Smith filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 assists, and three steals, leaving him just one assist behind Bobby Hurley's all-time NCAA Division I career assists record of 1,076. He even did it in two different jerseys. Smith came out of a first-half media timeout wearing a black No. 41 jersey with no name on the back after ripping his No. 3 during play. Doesn't matter what number is on the chest, the assists still count, and they're still piling up toward history.
Michigan did not go down quietly. Yaxel Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year, led the Wolverines with 20 points. Aday Mara added 14, and Elliot Cadeau recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Nimari Burnett contributed 12 off the bench.
But seven turnovers and Purdue's relentless efficiency on the other end proved to be the difference. Lendeborg also suffered an apparent ankle injury in the final minutes, left the game briefly, and returned with 1:33 remaining but was moving gingerly.
Even with the loss, Michigan is expected to be a No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed tonight.
The two teams were locked at 38-38 at halftime after a back-and-forth opening period. Both Kaufman-Renn and Cluff dealt with early foul trouble, with Cluff picking up his third foul with 3:14 left in the half. Despite that, Painter kept his big men aggressive.
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Braden Smith converted a three-point play to give Purdue a 38-32 lead with 54 seconds left in the half, but Michigan's Elliot Cadeau fed Aday Mara for a dunk and then scored on a driving layup at the buzzer to even things up heading into the break.
The Boilermakers took control early in the second half. Smith dished five assists in the first eight minutes after halftime, and Kaufman-Renn scored eight points in that same stretch. Purdue pushed its lead to 11 with 12 minutes remaining and never looked back.
Cluff's fourth foul with 7:29 left forced a brief stint on the bench, but when he returned for the final 5:31 he continued scoring, helping Purdue close it out.
What's Next for Purdue in the NCAA Tournament
Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament at 27-8 with serious momentum after winning four games in four days as a No. 7 seed. As a No. 2 seed in the West Region, the Boilermakers will open against No. 15 Queens. A win would set up a second-round matchup against the winner of No. 7 Miami and No. 10 Missouri.
With Braden Smith one assist away from the all-time NCAA record, a loaded frontcourt, and a Big Ten Tournament championship under their belt, Purdue heads into March Madness as one of the most dangerous teams in the country.
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