Yaxel Lendeborg poured in a game-high 27 points as No. 3 Michigan swept the season series against No. 8 Michigan State with a 90-80 home victory in a Big Ten regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Morez Johnson Jr. posted 18 points and seven rebounds while Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 15 points and Trey McKenney notched 12 points off the bench for Michigan (29-2, 19-1), which wrapped up the best Big Ten record since undefeated Indiana in 1975-76.
Jaxon Kohler paced Michigan State (25-6, 15-5) with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jeremy Fears Jr. provided 22 points and nine assists. The Spartans will be the No. 3 seed in this coming week’s Big Ten tournament in Chicago.
The rivalry game including three technical fouls in the opening 10 minutes. At the 14:24 mark, an officials’ replay determined Fears merited a technical after using the back of his leg to hit Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau in the groin immediately after Cadeau was whistled for reaching in for a foul. Just 61 seconds later, Michigan’s Aday Mara was whistled for pushing Carson Cooper (19 points) in the back after a Gayle layup. With 10:44 on the clock, McKenney scored a breakaway layup but knocked the ball out of Kohler’s hands as he prepared to inbound the ball, drawing a whistle.
No. 9 Nebraska 84, Iowa 75 (OT)
The Cornhuskers tied the program record for wins in a season and earned the second seed in the Big Ten tournament after defeating the Hawkeyes in overtime in both teams’ regular-season finale in Lincoln, Neb.
Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten), which extended its record for conference wins in a season, ended the game on a 9-0 run to seal the victory. Cale Jacobsen — who made two of his 14 3-pointers this season in the extra period — Sam Hoiberg and Pryce Sandfort each finished with 15 points and Rienk Mast added 14 for the Cornhuskers.
Kael Combs and Cooper Koch scored 18 points apiece to pace the Hawkeyes (20-11, 10-1). Tavion Banks had 12 and Bennett Stirtz added 11.
No. 11 Illinois 78, Maryland 72
David Mirkovic delivered 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as the Fighting Illini outlasted the Terrapins in the teams’ regular-season finale in College Park, Md.
In a game that was tight throughout, Kylan Boswell scored 11 points and Keaton Wagler tallied all 11 of his points in the second half as Illinois (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) clinched a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament and earned a triple bye into Friday’s quarterfinal round in Chicago.
Andre Mills scored 30 points to pace Maryland (11-20, 4-16), which enters the Big Ten tournament as the No. 17 seed and will face No. 16 Oregon on Tuesday afternoon. Darius Adams scored 14 points and David Coit, who was one of four Terrapins honored on senior day, added 10 points.
–Field Level Media
