Last week, Michigan Football landed the commitment of 2027 four-star edge rusher prospect Jayce Brewer. The Indianapolis native is listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
Michigan
Michigan basketball vs Purdue: Two powerhouses colliding for Big Ten Tournament title
Breaking down Michigan’s win vs Wisconsin to make Big Ten tourney final
Tony Garcia and Carlos Monarrez break down Michigan basketball’s win over Wisconsin to make the Big Ten Tournament final vs. Purdue.
CHICAGO − It’s fitting, really, this Big Ten Tournament championship matchup.
The showdown at United Center features 1-seed Michigan basketball (31-2) – the undisputed regular-season champs and a potential No. 1 overall NCAA seed – and 7-seed Purdue (26-8) – which was projected to be the top team in the conference, if not the nation, to open the season.
One of the Wolverines’ crowning achievements − of which there were many − during this season was their thumping of the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Feb. 17. The Wolverines built a 20-point first-half lead and then held off coach Matt Painter’s team in a 91-80 victory.
“Give them credit,” Painter said following that game. “Just like in the last two games for us, where we set the tone on the glass, they set the tone for the game right there. Their size was there, but also they were quicker to the ball. I thought their guards did a good job of being around the basketball.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.”
The Wolverines won at Mackey Arena in large part because of they neutralized last season’s Big Ten player of the year, point guard Braden Smith. Though he finished with 20 points, none came in the first half at all and half came at the free throw line, with just four field-goal makes.
Likewise, U-M’s bigs controlled center Oscar Cluff.
The 6-foot-11 255-pounder, who averaged 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds this season, put up just four and three respectively, against the Wolverines. He has rounded into form, however, during this Big Ten Tournament run for the Boilermakers, averaging 16 points and 11 boards in wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and UCLA.
Michigan advanced to the title game in thrilling fashion. On Friday, U-M was down two against Ohio State with less than five minutes to play, before forcing OSU to go just 2-for-12 from the floor in the Wolverines’ 71-67 victory.
Then, the real fireworks came against Wisconsin on Saturday. U-M built a 15-point lead with less than 10 minutes to play, only for the Badgers to shoot the lights out with a six-minute 23-4 run that featured seven 3s en route a 62-58 lead. With the score tied at 65, Michigan held the ball for the final possession ended by a Yaxel Lendeborg 25-foot 3-pointer from the right wing with 0.4 seconds left.
“What a fabulous basketball game, kind of a modern Big Ten game where teams were fighting, clawing, scrapping, competing at the highest level, but also making some high level shots and plays,” Michigan coach Dusty May said afterwards. “This is very, very healthy for us to be where we are right now, still finding some things out about ourselves and discovering new ways to win.”
Lendeborg didn’t score until there were 11 seconds in the first half, while Cadeau played just six of the opening 20 minutes with foul trouble. The two were critical in the second half, as they were in West Lafayette, where Cadeau scored 17 points and Lendeborg added 13 points and seven assists.
Michigan had six players in double figures that night, including L.J. Cason, who is out with an ACL tear. Michigan has played four times without Cason and each was a one-possession game with less than four minutes to play.
But the Wolverines have had the answers on every occasion.
Now, they have one last test against one of the most experienced teams in the league, to determine if they’ll become the first Big Ten team with back-to-back tourney titles since the Wolverines in 2017-18.
Michigan vs Purdue Big Ten Tournament championship game prediction
With the Boilermakers on their fourth game in four days – not to mention myriad poor matchups with U-M – they won’t be able to hang with Dusty May’s crew, which will earn its third banner (2025 tourney, 2025-26 regular season, 2026 tourney) in exactly 365 days. The pick: U-M 83, Purdue 72.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Michigan
Curt Cignetti Discusses Idea That OSU, Michigan Could Rest Players in Rivalry Game If CFP Expands
College football is about more than just who wins the national championship in a given season, and perhaps nothing underscores that more than the deep-seated rivalry and hatred between Ohio State and Michigan.
That is why the idea of the Buckeyes and Wolverines potentially resting their starters in their annual season-ending showdown if the College Football Playoff expands was met with derision from Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and others.
“Do you think Ohio State-Michigan, either of those teams are gonna rest their starters? Come on,” Cignetti said, per Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel added, “I can’t envision a world where that would happen.”
Neither can anyone with an actual connection to the rivalry.
The winner of what is known as The Game gets yearlong bragging rights in the fiercest rivalry in the sport. It means as much, if not more, to some fans than winning the national title, and the legacy of coaches is often defined by whether they enjoy success in that game.
It is why there was genuine discussion about Ryan Day’s job status despite his overall success when Ohio State lost a fourth straight game in the rivalry in 2024 before he course corrected and led the Buckeyes to the CFP national title that season and a win over the Wolverines in 2025.
At the same time, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel are consistently celebrated by Buckeyes fans for dominating Michigan for a combined two decades prior to Day’s arrival.
Yes, an expansion to a 24-team CFP field would likely diminish some of the results of the regular season with more teams clinching spots before the end of the regular season. But it also wouldn’t take away from the overall importance of the sport’s most notable rivalry games to fans who care so deeply.
After all, the intensity of the college basketball games between Duke and North Carolina is never dialed back even in seasons where both teams are locks to make the NCAA tournament.
For his part, Day expressed support for Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti’s desire to expand the CFP and suggested there will be more teams playing important games down the stretch even if traditional powerhouses like his Buckeyes could have clinched their spot.
“It’s clear that when you look at all 18 teams, that they’re going to feel like Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, that they’re fighting for a chance to get this Playoff, and that engages their fanbase,” Day said. “It’s hard to walk out of that room and not support what Tony’s thoughts are on this.”
Whether expansion ultimately takes away from the regular season or adds to it, it won’t lead to Ohio State and Michigan overlooking the importance of The Game.
Even rival Big Ten coaches like Cignetti know that.
Brewer plays tight end for Franklin Central, is young for his age and is a center for his school’s varsity basketball team, via MaxPreps. During his junior campaign on the gridiron last year, he recorded 31 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hurries.
His primary recruiter defensive tackles coach Larry Black, as well as defensive coordinator Jay Hill and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell, should be excited about his potential as a pass rusher and room for growth as an overall defensive lineman. Now, let’s get into his film:
Brewer mostly lines up as a three-technique and five for Franklin Central; the latter is where he truly shines. His get-off is explosive and he uses these long, combative arms to fight tackles, shed blocks and wrap up ball carriers.
Those arms are also crucial for creating separation, where he can duck under tackles. When offensive linemen do get their hands on Brewer, he has encouragingly nuanced hand fighting to win one-on-one matchups.
Brewer’s speed and bend are more potent on the outside, though he can still line up inside and use that flexibility to split double teams. Once Brewer gets past his man/men, he uses excellent closing speed to harass quarterbacks and running backs.
When Brewer is stood up, he is athletic enough to use his vertical leap to knock down passes. You will also notice that vertical on field goal/PAT blocks and during jump balls on offense.
There is still plenty of time for more physical development, but Brewer should at least start as a pass rush specialist for Hill and Co.
Because Brewer is so lethal when creating separation, he can struggle with a lack of true power when offensive linemen latch onto him. The aforementioned vertical and double-team splits can help; however, he will need to bulk up to become a reliable, every-down lineman.
Improved footwork will help his game, too. Brewer tends to rely on his upper-body strength — which, works fine in high school — and does not always drive with his legs and hips.
I also would have liked to see more nastiness on film. He is by no means timid or lazy, but does not necessarily show the mean streak that some of head coach Kyle Whittingham’s recruits have lately.
Still, he moves well off the edge, does well to pursue the football, is clearly an excellent athlete and should be a fun project for the defensive staff.
Brewer is still a ways away from being the complete package on the defensive line. But, that Michigan Football weight training program, a more careful understanding of how to capitalize on his physical traits and what should become a fiery, Wolverine attitude, should give him a shot at rotational snaps early on.
If Brewer can set more physical edges in the run game and continue to blossom attacking quarterbacks, he will be another gem in Ann Arbor.
(FOX 2) – Another series of anti-Semitic acts in Metro Detroit is raising alarm after Sterling Heights became the latest victim of hateful language being scrawled in the community.
Vulgar graffiti was sprayed on a playground on May 16, a week after it was found in a mobile home and only a few days after several other Southeast Michigan cities were targeted.
Big picture view:
The latest case of anti-Semitism was reported in Sterling Heights, which has seen two cases of vandalism using black spray paint to depict vulgar language.
One case was at the Sterling Estates Mobile Home Park, which took place on May 9. The second case was at a playground on May 16.
The cases were reported by a security guard who was at a nearby church.
Security footage caught three persons of interest involved in the case.
What they’re saying:
“We want to stress that the police department does not tolerate this behavior. We encourage our residents to communicate peacefully, and we are just proactive in addressing these concerns – we’ve deployed multiple resources within this area in an attempt to identify the possible perpetrators,” said Sgt. Lamar Kashat with Sterling Heights Police Department.
The backstory:
Police from three different communities are also working to track down the culprits behind a slew of hateful flyers thrown onto the porches of homes spewing anti-Semitic language and references.
Berkley, Huntington Woods, and Oak Park were all targeted by the flyers, which were delivered in plastic bags and weighed down with corn.
Police believe the flyers were thrown out of a moving car during the overnight hours over the weekend.
The Source: An interview with Sterling Heights police was cited for this story.
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