Michigan defeated Wisconsin 59-53 to win the 2025 Big Ten Championship. It was certainly an interesting game for both teams.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis was electric for the whole tournament; however, during the championship game’s second half, things started to heat up the most.
Michigan head coach Dusty May led the Wolverines to their first conference title win since 2018. This marks the team’s third time earning this championship title. It is also the first time a coach has won the Big Ten Championship during their first year coaching the team. It is incredibly historic, considering that during the 2023-24 season, Michigan had one of its worst seasons yet, finishing last in the Big Ten.
Takeaway #1: Both teams had very unsuccessful first halves
Understandably, both teams would feel lethargic after playing multiple games. Wisconsin began their tournament play on Thursday, Mar. 13, during the second round. They had a 70-63 win against Northwestern. The next day, during the quarterfinals, Wisconsin upset No. 4 UCLA in a dominating 86-70 victory. UCLA couldn’t catch a break during this game as Wisconsin continuously hit their shots left and right. During the semifinal, the Badgers had yet another impressive upset against the regular season Big Ten Champion, Michigan State. While the score was much closer, 77-74, they dug deep to finish the job. Undoubtedly, players wouldn’t be tired after this lineup of games, and it showed.
This was not only the case for Wisconsin but also for Michigan. They received the double-bye, which started them off on Friday against Purdue. After beating the Boilermakers 86-68, Michigan played in a thrilling battle against No. 2 Maryland the next day. It was a fight until the very end, as Tre Donaldson sprinted to the basket to score the perfect game-winning layup, propelling Michigan to the championship game.
All these game hours led to a very sloppy offensive start on both ends. It was one missed 3-pointer after the other. Both teams couldn’t make their shots. In the first 12 minutes of the game, they both shot under 30%. By the end of the first half, Michigan shot 28.1% from the field (8-31), and Wisconsin 21.6% (8-37). When looking outside the arc, there was lots of action; however, almost no accuracy. 3-pointers were looking like a go-to shot as every player had tired legs. Michigan only made 3 of their 17 attempts in the first half (17.6%), and Wisconsin only sunk 4-for-24 of theirs (16.7%). Driving to the basket was a very occasional occurrence. An even more interesting stat is that Michigan didn’t shoot from the stripe once before the half. Wisconsin had only 4 foul shots total before the half, all successful.
Takeaway #2: Key players brought bursts of energy
The Wolverines undoubtedly had a complete energy switch in the second half. This happened after Wisconsin had a strong second-half start. They began to pull away as they made a run and put an 11-point lead on Michigan. Breaking this energy drought for the Wolverines was freshman guard L.J. Cason. He hit a couple of electrifying 3-pointers, which gave Michigan the momentum it needed to overcome the Badgers. Cason was also the player who got Michigan’s first two foul shots. The crowd was relieved that the board finally said something other than “0/0 FTs.” Along with these offensive plays, Cason also drew an offensive charge, a key moment for the Wolverines. He stepped off the court with eight points, five rebounds, and one assist.
Vladislav Goldin scored seven points in the first half. He sunk a dangerous shot from downtown that Wisconsin fans certainly didn’t appreciate. He also made some big-time defensive plays, giving the Badgers a hard time. The 7’2″ center was a key threat in this championship game. By the end of the game, Goldin recorded 11 points—tied with Donaldson for the team high.
Danny Wolf’s eight rebounds supported the victory as well.
Takeaway #3: Michigan late-in-the-game run
Michigan has had its share of close games. This season, they have had many narrow victories that have come to the final seconds. This includes wins against Rutgers, Oregon, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, and now Wisconsin for a second time. Dusty May’s top-tier coaching shows in these moments, as Michigan has pulled through many times in such intense moments.
The Badgers led 51-50 with only 2:15 remaining. Donaldson’s key 3-pointer and Vladislav Goldin’s successful free throws put Michigan ahead 55-53 with only 46 seconds to go. In the game’s final possessions, Wisconsin’s poor offensive performance and Michigan’s solid defense led to the game’s conclusion.
To secure the win, Donaldson and Danny Wolf each made a pair of shots from the stripe, resulting in a final score of 59-53.
Why did Wisconsin look like a completely different team from the previous two days? John Tonje, the Badger’s key player, was invisible for nearly all of the game. He sunk only 1 of his 14 shots from the field. Along with this, he couldn’t find the net with all of his five shots from downtown. Of his nine points, seven of them were from the charity line. During the quarterfinal, Tonje produced a team-high of 26 points. Tonje sent Michigan State home to follow up this performance by putting up 32 points. His faint appearance was more than evident during the championship game.
The Wolverines were ecstatic after the winning. In the locker room, however, Rubin Jones stated they would have time to celebrate. However, it is right back to business as they look forward to the NCAA Tournament,
“Onto the next. We’re gonna celebrate this today, but tomorrow, we’re tryna see what’s next.” Jones said.
Immediately following the commencement of the Big Ten Tournament Championship Ceremony, players were brought together as they watched Selection Sunday.
Michigan was placed in the South region as the No. 5 seed. They will travel to Denver, Colorado, to first take on No. 12 UC San Diego on Mar. 20 at 10 p.m. ET.
Wisconsin was placed in the East region. As the No. 3 seed, they will face No. 14 Montana on Mar. 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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