No. 3 Michigan claims Big Ten regular-season title with an 84-70 win over No. 10 Illinois
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team as No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 on Friday night and clinched the Big Ten regular-season title.
Johnson, who played for the Illini last season after verbally committing three years earlier, was booed throughout the game by Illinois fans.
Aday Mara had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting and Yaxel Lendeberg finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (27-2, 17-1), who are 10-0 on the road and have won 23 games by 10 or more points.
The Wolverines won their first outright conference regular-season title since 2014, when they also clinched with a win at Illinois.
Michigan’s 17 conference victories are the most in school history.
Keaton Wagler scored 23 points for the Illini (22-7, 13-5), who have lost four of six, including three in overtime. Wagler scored in double figures for the 21st straight game.
Kylan Boswell scored 15 points and David Mirkovic had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Illini, who entered the game as the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooting team. Illinois was just 9 of 29 from distance against Michigan.
Michigan led 38-31 at halftime behind Johnson’s 13 points.
Down 16-11 after a four-point play by Wagler, the Wolverines responded with an 11-point run capped by a 3 by Johnson and never trailed again. They led by as many as 21 points in the second half.
Michigan’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois that began in 2019. The Wolverines had dropped four in a row to the Illini at the State Farm Center.
Up next
Michigan: At Iowa on Thursday.
Illinois: Host Oregon on Tuesday.
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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball