Triple play: Michigan routs Rutgers, 101-60

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Dec 6, 2025

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Not even a nine-day layoff could cool off the Wolverines.

Playing for the first time since its dominant showing at the Players Era tournament, No. 3 Michigan picked up where it left off and opened Big Ten play with another blowout.

Behind another strong all-around performance and balanced attack, the Wolverines pummeled Rutgers and rolled to a 101-60 win on Saturday at Crisler Center.

It was the third straight game UM scored more than 100, following wins over Auburn (102-72) and Gonzaga (101-61).

Morez Johnson Jr. had 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting, Yaxel Lendeborg added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Elliot Cadeau had 11 points and nine assists for Michigan (8-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which shot 60% from the field, made 13 3-pointers and held Rutgers to a season-low 35.8% shooting.

After doubling up Rutgers and building a 25-point halftime lead, the Wolverines didn’t let up. Johnson made his second 3-pointer of the game – after attempting just two deep balls in his career entering the contest – and Lendeborg followed with a 3 of his own.

Then after Rutgers broke Michigan’s press and turned the ball over on a 2-on-1 fast-break opportunity, Roddy Gayle Jr. (11 points, six assists) threw down a dunk in transition the other way. Another turnover from Rutgers preceded a 3-pointer from L.J. Cason (11 points). The Wolverines pulled ahead, 63-33, with 15:38 to play.

Michigan continued to pour it on with a barrage of 3-pointers after having its way in the paint in the first half. Trey McKenney (13 points), Lendeborg and Cason combined to make four deep balls in the span of roughly two minutes to make it 77-40 with 12:00 to go.

The Wolverines led by as much as 42 and never let the lead dip below 33 the rest of the way as they coasted to their fifth consecutive win by at least 25 points.

Things got testy in the final minutes, though, when freshman Winters Grady and Rutgers’ Dylan Grant both received a technical foul after the two exchanged words and needed to be separated. McKenney and Rutgers’ Gevonte Ware were also assessed offsetting technical fouls when they got tangled up battling for a rebound.

Harun Zrno and Kaden Powers each scored 13 for Rutgers (5-5, 0-2). The Scarlet Knights were outscored 52-26 in the paint and had 16 turnovers that led to 22 Michigan points.

Michigan showed no signs of a Las Vegas hangover from the Players Era. The defense was dialed in from the jump, whether it was deflecting passes, forcing late shot-clock situations and creating turnovers, while the offense feasted in the paint.

In the early going, Aday Mara (11 rebounds) stole an inbounds pass underneath the basket. Johnson came away with a steal near midcourt that led to a layup the other way during a string of eight unanswered points.

During one sequence, Johnson forced a turnover in the corner and Lendeborg scored on an offensive putback while being fouled. On Rutgers’ next trip down, Johnson swatted a baseline jumper out of bounds and scored at the basket on the other end, as Michigan built an 18-6 lead with 11:47 left in the first half.

Rutgers took advantage of some second-chance opportunities to cut the deficit to seven before the Wolverines created separation with an 18-3 run. Nimari Burnett kicked off the flurry with Michigan’s first 3-pointer at the 8:13 mark. A steal by Cadeau led to a fast-break layup by McKenney.

The spurt ended with a flurry of 3-pointers. Cadeau found Johnson and Lendeborg for deep balls on back-to-back possessions, with Johnson making the first one of his college career. Cadeau capped the spurt with a 3-pointer of his own to make it 42-20 with 3:07 left.

By the time Gayle put the finishing touches on the half with an offensive putback, Michigan scored more points in the paint (34) than Rutgers had in total and took a 50-25 lead into the break.

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