Elliot Cadeau had 15 points and L.J. Cason scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half as No. 3 Michigan beat Minnesota 77-67 on Tuesday night to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title for the first time in five years.
The Wolverines (26-2, 16-1) can earn an outright championship with a win at No. 10 Illinois on Friday night or next week at Iowa or at home against 15th-ranked Michigan State.
Michigan was coming off a 68-63 loss to Duke that dropped the Wolverines down from No. 1 and vaulted the Blue Devils to the top spot in the AP Top 25.
The Gophers (13-15, 6-11) trailed by just four at halftime before giving up too many 3-pointers. Michigan made 9 of 18 shots from beyond the arc in the second half.
Minnesota’s Cade Tyson scored 20 points, Langston Reynolds had 15 points and Isaac Asuma and Bobby Durkin scored 12 apiece.
Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg, a preseason All-America player, was held to a season-low three points. Center Morez Johnson scored just six points.
Michigan has matched a school record with 16 Big Ten wins, equaling the 1984-85 and 1976-77 teams. The Wolverines’ 26-2 start is the best in program history.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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