Michigan just finished a business trip out West, and honestly, it couldn't have gone much better. If you were looking for the latest u of m basketball score, the Wolverines took down Oregon 81-71 on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena. It wasn't always pretty. In fact, it was kind of a grind early on. Michigan actually went into the locker room trailing by a point after Oregon’s Lin buried a buzzer-beating three.
That doesn't happen often to this team.
This was only the third time all season the Wolverines have faced a halftime deficit. But the second half? Total different story. Michigan came out and shot a ridiculous 60 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. That is how you put a game away on the road.
Breaking Down the U of M Basketball Score and Performance
It is easy to just look at the 81-71 final and move on, but the way they got there says a lot about why this team is ranked No. 4 in the country. Elliot Cadeau was the engine. He finished with 17 points and five assists, basically controlling the tempo whenever Oregon tried to make a run. When the Ducks cut it to 74-68 with about three and a half minutes left, Cadeau didn't blink. He hit a layup, then Morez Johnson Jr. followed it up with a bucket to push the lead back to ten.
Game over.
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Nimari Burnett was also huge, dropping 15 points. He had this stretch at the start of the second half where he basically scored or assisted on Michigan’s first 10 points. It turned a one-point deficit into a lead they never gave back.
Key contributors from Saturday:
- Elliot Cadeau: 17 points, 5 assists, 5-of-8 shooting.
- Nimari Burnett: 15 points, including a critical early second-half spark.
- Aday Mara: 12 points, 2 blocks. The big man continues to be a problem for opponents in the paint.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: Only 6 points, but a game-high 10 rebounds. He does the dirty work.
Oregon's Sean Stewart actually had a career-high 22 points, but it wasn't enough. Michigan’s defense eventually locked in. They held the Ducks scoreless for nearly three minutes during a key stretch in the second half. That’s the "Dusty May" effect people talk about.
The Big Ten Landscape is Shifting
The Big Ten is a gauntlet this year. Like, seriously. Nebraska is still undefeated at 17-0, which feels like a fever dream for Huskers fans. Purdue is right there at 16-1. Michigan sits at 16-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference, keeping them right in the hunt for a regular-season title.
The only blemish on Michigan's record remains that 91-88 loss to Wisconsin back on January 10th. Since then, they've beaten Washington and Oregon on the road. Sweeping a West Coast trip in the new-look Big Ten is no small feat. Michigan is actually one of only two teams in the conference that remains undefeated against the "new" West Coast members. They are 6-0 in those matchups.
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They aren't just winning; they're scoring. They’ve put up 80 or more points in all six of those games.
What This Means for the Rankings
Expect Michigan to stay firmly in the top five when the new AP Poll drops. Some bracketologists already have them as a lock for a 1-seed if they keep this up. The efficiency is what stands out. They shoot the ball well, they share it—Cadeau is a pass-first wizard—and they have enough size with Mara and Johnson Jr. to protect the rim.
The scary part? They haven't even peaked. Morez Johnson Jr. played only 17 minutes against Oregon because of foul trouble. If he stays on the floor, that 10-point win probably becomes a 20-point blowout.
What is Next for the Wolverines?
The schedule doesn't get any easier. They head back home to the Crisler Center for a massive rivalry stretch.
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First up is Indiana on Tuesday, January 20th. That’s a 7:00 PM tip on Peacock. Then it’s the big one: Ohio State on Friday. If you’re a Michigan fan, you’ve probably already circled January 30th on your calendar. That’s the trip to East Lansing to face Michigan State. The Spartans are 15-2 and 5-1 in the Big Ten, so that game will likely have huge implications for the conference standings.
If you are tracking the u of m basketball score for the rest of the month, keep an eye on the turnover margin. While they’ve been winning, they sometimes get a bit loose with the ball in high-pressure road environments. If they clean that up, there might not be a team in the country that can run with them.
For anyone looking to catch the next game, make sure your streaming logins are ready. The Big Ten's deal with Peacock and BTN means the games are scattered across a few different platforms.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your subscriptions: The Indiana game is on Peacock (Jan 20), so make sure you're active before tip-off.
- Watch the injury report: Keep an eye on the bench depth; Michigan’s starters are playing heavy minutes, and any minor tweak could change the rotation.
- Monitor the NET rankings: Michigan is currently hovering around No. 1 or No. 2 in the NET. Maintaining a top-5 spot is crucial for NCAA Tournament seeding.