The No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines fell to the No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers, 76-73, in the championship game of the 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament on Sunday, March 16. Purdue secured its second consecutive conference tournament title with the victory.
After a closely contested first half, Purdue took control in the second period, building a lead that Michigan could not overcome. The Wolverines had a final possession to tie the game but were unable to get a shot off before time expired.
"Credit to Purdue, they made the plays down the stretch," Michigan head coach Dusty May said in the post-game press conference. "We had our chances, but we didn't execute the way we needed to in the final minutes."
With the result, Purdue earns the Big Ten's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Both teams are expected to receive high seeds when the tournament bracket is announced later today.
