Jett Howard-less Michigan falls to No. 1 Purdue at home, 75-70

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan found out just before its game with No. 1 Purdue that freshman wing Jett Howard wouldn’t play. The Wolverines came out on fire without him, scoring 13 points in the first 3:46 in front of the best home crowd of the year at Crisler Arena. 

It wouldn’t last. The Wolverines played catch up most of the game and simply couldn’t, falling 75-70 and missing a chance for their first really big win of the year.

Purdue big man Zach Edey took advantage of single guarding him down low early and scored Purdue’s first 6 points. Michigan junior Hunter Dickinson, though, countered with a triple and a 3-point play off the dribble to draw Edey’s first foul. 

It was 13-10 at the first TV timeout, and the two big men had 7 points each in the highly touted matchup. 

Head coach Juwan Howard went to his bench early, and early on it paid off. Will Tschetter tripled to make it 18-14 Michigan. But Purdue made a run against an unorthodox lineup of Tschetter, Jace Howard, Dug McDaniel, Tarris Reed and Kobe Bufkin, forcing a U-M timeout at 11:32. 

Reed picked up his third foul in minutes with a technical foul after a dunk, sending him to the bench. 

The frenetic pace continued. Frosh point guard McDaniel tripled from the corner and sophomore Isaiah Barnes hit a short jumper in the lane to help U-M keep pace, but the Wolverines couldn’t stop Edey in the paint. He had 13 points at the 6:30 mark on 7 of 9 shooting. 

The Boilermakers ripped off 7 straight with the Wolverines struggling to find any scoring. Barnes missed everything on a pair of triples, and then a layup in transition on a 3-on-1.

It was 37-28 at 3:50, and all the early Michigan momentum was gone. The Boilers finished off a 15-0 run before Bufkin scored off the dribble to make it 41-30. 

To their credit, Michigan didn’t fold. Dickinson scored 4 straight to cut it to 41-35 at 36.3 seconds to go in the half, which is how it ended when Dickinson missed a long three at the buzzer. He’d finish the first half with 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Michigan shot only 37.9 percent in the first half to 51.7 for Purdue. The Boilermakers had 26 points in the paint. 

SECOND HALF — Michigan starts slowly and can’t come back

The Wolverines started the second half with an unforced turnover, and then left frosh Fletcher Loyer alone from the top for an uncontested triple. Another turnover from Dickinson on a pass to nobody, followed by an Edey hook in the lane, had the Wolverines back down 11 in the first minute of the second half. 

Michigan had 3 turnovers in the first 4 minutes and trailed 48-39 at the first TV timeout of the second half. 

Bufkin did his part to keep Michigan close. He scored 9 points, including a triple at 13:30, to cut it to 52-46, and the Wolverines had momentum. Jace Howard cut it to 53-48 with a drive and finish at 12:30. 

A shot clock triple from Purdue’s David Jenkins Jr. at 10:35 pushed the lead back to 10, and Michigan was back on the ropes. 

Grad wing Joey Baker responded with a 3-pointer at 9:05 to cut tit back to 7 and keep hope alive. McDaniel’s floater cut it back to 5 before the Wolverines gave up another wide open three, this one to Mason Gillis. A Purdue and-one at 6:28 pushed it back to 65-55, and U-M was in trouble. 

Baker answered again with another triple. Every time U-M scored, though, Purdue answered with a run. The Boilermakers took a 69-60 lead into the final TV timeout and was in control. The Wolverines would get a chance to cut into the lead, but Bufkin’s setback airball down 69-62 all but ended the hopes at 2:30. Dickinson’s long three cut it to 6 and the Wolverines got a steal with 34 seconds remaining, eventually cut it to 4 after a missed Edey front end of a one-and-one.

The Boilermakers, though, made enough free throws down the stretch to win it, even after Baker’s desperation three banked in to cut it to 73-70 with 5.5 seconds remaining.

Dickinson led Michigan with 21 points, while Bufkin added 16 for Michigan, which fell to 5-4 in conference play.