ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mike Smith had 16 points and six assists, and No. 7 Michigan remained unbeaten with another dominant performance, routing No. 9 Wisconsin 77-54 on Tuesday night.
The Wolverines (11-0, 6-0) turned this Big Ten showdown into a blowout with a 43-6 run that spanned parts of both halves. It was another masterpiece for coach Juwan Howard’s team, which became the first in college basketball history to beat three ranked opponents in a row by at least 19 points.
Michigan set the one for this one with its rim protection. The Badgers (10-3, 4-2) struggled to finish plays around the basket early on, and the Wolverines had six blocked shots in the first half alone.
Michigan led 26-23 before scoring the last 14 points of the half. A steal and dunk by Franz Wagner made it 33-23. Smith followed that with a steal and a layup. Wagner then drove the baseline and dunked for a 14-point advantage.
The start of the second half wasn’t any better for Wisconsin. A 3-pointer by Eli Brooks made it 47-26, and a 3 by Smith made it 54-26. Finally, a layup by Chaundee Brown gave Michigan an almost incomprehensible 69-29 lead.
The last time Michigan started the season with a run like this was when the Wolverines were 17-0 during the 2018-19 season. Wisconsin actually ended that unbeaten streak, but the Badgers didn’t come close to a repeat performance.
Wagner had 15 points and 10 rebounds. D’Mitrik Trice led Wisconsin with 20 points.
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: The Badgers have been a bit of a thorn in Michigan’s side over the years, and they entered this game having won seven of their last 10 at Crisler Center. But on this night, their 3-point shooting (9 of 28) was not nearly enough to make up for all their problems inside the arc.
Michigan: After taking down three straight ranked teams by an average of 22.3 points, the only real concern for the Wolverines at this point is they might be playing their best basketball in January. If they look anything like this in March, they should be considered a national title contender.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: The Badgers have a chance to rebound quickly when they play at Rutgers on Friday night.
Michigan: The Wolverines go on the road Saturday for a rematch at No. 23 Minnesota.
Northern Illinois 67, Akron 65
DEKALB, Ill. — Justin Lee had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Darius Beane made a go-ahead jumper with six seconds left to help Northern Illinois beat Akron.
Trendon Hankerson had 15 points for Northern Illinois (2-9, 1-5 Mid-American Conference), which snapped its four-game losing streak. Chinedu Kingsley Okanu added 10 points and Beane had eight rebounds and seven assists.
Ali Ali had 15 points for the Zips (4-3, 2-2). Bryan Trimble Jr. added 12 points and Loren Cristian Jackson had 10 points and seven assists.
Kent State 94,
Central Michigan 85
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — Danny Pippen had 28 points and 11 rebounds as Kent State defeated Central Michigan.
Mike Nuga had 18 points and seven rebounds for Kent State (5-3, 2-2 MAC). Malique Jacobs added 14 points and Giovanni Santiago had 11 points.
Travon Broadway Jr. had 20 points and five steals for the Chippewas (5-7, 1-4). Malik Muhammad added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Meikkel Murray had 14 points.
Toledo 96, Eastern Michigan 63
TOLEDO — Keshaun Saunders had a career-high 20 points coming off the bench and Toledo won its eighth straight game, easily beating Eastern Michigan.
Saunders hit 5 of 6 3-pointers.
Spencer Littleson had 19 points and six rebounds for Toledo (11-3, 6-0 Mid-American Conference). Marreon Jackson added 17 points and Ryan Rollins had 14 points and six rebounds.
Toledo registered season highs with 17 3-pointers and 26 assists. Toledo scored 51 points in the second half, a season best for the team.
Bryce McBride had 12 points for the Eagles (3-4, 1-3). Ty Groce added 10 points.
Ohio 78, Miami (Ohio) 61
ATHENS — Ben Roderick had 20 points as Ohio topped Miami (Ohio).
Ben Vander Plas had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Ohio (7-5, 3-3 Mid-American Conference). Jason Preston added 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Mark Sears had seven rebounds.
Dalonte Brown had 16 points for the RedHawks (4-4, 1-2). Mekhi Lairy added 15 points. Dae Dae Grant had 12 points.
Ball State 88, Bowling Green 64
BOWLING GREEN — Ishmael El-Amin had 20 points as Ball State easily defeated Bowling Green.
Brachen Hazen had 14 points and eight rebounds for Ball State (5-5, 3-2 Mid-American Conference). K.J. Walton added 14 points and nine rebounds. Teemu Suokas had 11 points.
Both teams set season records for scoring in the second half. Ball State scored 45 second-half points, a season best, while the 28 points in the second half for Bowling Green were its lowest of the season.
Justin Turner had 18 points for the Falcons (9-3, 5-1), whose five-game winning streak was snapped. Daeqwon Plowden added eight rebounds.
Trey Diggs, whose 13 points per game heading into the matchup ranked second on the Falcons, was held to only six points on 2-of-10 shooting.
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