Focused No. 1 Michigan takes care of business in win over No. 7 Purdue with No. 3 Duke looming

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Top-ranked Michigan refused to be distracted by its new status or the looming Saturday showdown with No. 3 Duke, turning in a business-like 25-point performance Tuesday night to subdue No. 7 Purdue 25-1, 15-1 Big Ten and extend its winning streak to 11 games.

Playing their first contest as the nation’s No. 1 team in 13 years, the Wolverines controlled the paint early and beat the Boilermakers at their own physical game, posting their 21st double-digit victory of the season and opening a commanding 3½-game lead in the Big Ten standings.

“Our goal was to win the Big Ten,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said afterward. “But those dudes aren’t losing four (conference) games. We’ve got four losses, and they ain’t losing four games, that’s just reality. When you’ve been in the league for 25 years, that’s reality.”

The contest, played with NCAA Tournament-level intensity, saw Michigan’s balanced offense and suffocating defense stifle a Purdue squad that entered 21-5 overall and 11-4 in league play. The Boilermakers now find themselves chasing a team that appears to improve with every outing.

With the victory secured, Michigan earned a rare day off Wednesday before Thursday’s practices shift focus to Saturday’s primetime meeting with Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium — a game many are already labeling a potential Final Four preview.

“We’re going to treat it like a Sweet 16 game,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “I’d say a first-round NCAA Tournament game, but we’re not going to be playing Duke in the first round. So we’re going to treat it like a Sweet 16, hopefully a Final Four-type game where we’re going in with short prep against a team we don’t know very well, and then we’ll see if we can get our guys to execute a game plan. If we do it well, it’ll be an awesome win.”

Tip-off against the third-ranked Blue Devils is set for Saturday, giving the Wolverines a brief window to prepare for what could be the marquee matchup of the regular season.