CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Michigan Wolverines had three chances to claim the outright Big Ten regular-season title. Turns out, all they needed was one. In a top-10 tilt between two of the conference’s best, No. 3 Michigan proved to be a class above No. 10 Illinois in Friday’s 84-70 win at State Farm Center to ensure a first-place finish atop the standings. Aday Mara had 19 points, with 15 coming ...

Kylan Boswell of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives past Yaxel Lendeborg of the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at State Farm Center on Feb. 27, 2026, in Champaign, Illinois.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Michigan Wolverines had three chances to claim the outright Big Ten regular-season title.

Turns out, all they needed was one.

In a top-10 tilt between two of the conference’s best, No. 3 Michigan proved to be a class above No. 10 Illinois in Friday’s 84-70 win at State Farm Center to ensure a first-place finish atop the standings.

Aday Mara had 19 points, with 15 coming in the second half. Morez Johnson Jr., facing his former team for the first time, tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds. Yaxel Lendeborg added 16 points for Michigan (27-2, 17-1 Big Ten), which snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois and earned its first victory in the head-to-head series since January 2019.

With the triumph, the Wolverines secured the No. 1 seed and a triple-bye in next month’s Big Ten tournament in Chicago. They also improved to 7-1 against ranked opponents and set a program record for conference wins in a season.

Following a first half that was a one- or two-possession game most of the way and saw neither side lead by more than nine, Michigan grabbed the first double-digit advantage of the contest and eventually kept piling on.

The two sides traded blows over the first three minutes of the second half before Illinois blinked first. A steal by Lendeborg led to a short hook shot by Mara. Then after an Illinois turnover, Mara threw down a poster dunk over Tomislav Ivisic for a 51-41 lead with 16:11 to play.

Illinois cut the deficit in half on a possession in which L.J. Cason, who came up limping late in the first half, appeared to hurt his right knee. The Fighting Illini took advantage of the five-on-four opportunity with a second-chance 3-pointer by Keaton Wagler to make it 53-48.

Michigan pushed the lead back to double digits and began to pull away behind a strong stretch from Mara. The big man scored at the rim then found a cutting Lendeborg for an and-1 basket at the rim. During another sequence, Mara blocked a shot on one end and scored on a short hook shot on the other. Then on back-to-back possessions, he threw down an alley-oop dunk and converted an and-1 put-back for a 66-52 lead.

After Mara’s inside attack came a 3-point barrage. Trey McKenney drained back-to-back 3-pointers. Will Tschetter canned another deep ball. A 16-2 flurry gave Michigan a commanding 75-54 lead with 6:49 to play.

The Wolverines never let the lead dip below 14 points as they ripped off their 13th consecutive conference win. They shot 52.5% for the game and finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (14-8), second-chance points (22-20), bench points (20-7), fast-break points (10-1) and points in the paint (42-32).

Wagler finished with 23 points and Kylan Boswell scored 15 for Illinois (22-7, 13-5), which shot 41.3% from the field and finished 9 for 29 from 3-point range.

The matchup between KenPom’s No. 1 team in offensive efficiency (Illinois) and No. 2 team in defensive efficiency (Michigan) tilted in the latter’s favor during the first half.

Elliot Cadeau had two strong takes and finishes at the rim before he picked up two quick fouls. Lendeborg drove into the lane and connected with Mara on an alley-oop dunk for a brief one-point lead.

Illinois countered by making half of its first 12 shots, a stretch that featured all three of its first-half 3-pointers. That included a 3-pointer that Wagler made while being fouled by Mara that led to a four-point play and a 16-11 lead for Illinois with 13:03 left in the first half.

Michigan crashed the offensive glass to put together an 11-0 burst and pull ahead. Lendeborg had an and-1 put-back and scored on an acrobatic layup after he grabbed another offensive board. Johnson split a pair of free throws after being fouled on an offensive rebound. After Michigan forced a shot-clock violation on defense, Johnson ended the run with a 3-pointer from the left wing for a 22-16 advantage at the 9:45 mark.

Illinois returned the favor and scored three second-chance baskets in the span of 90 seconds to keep close. The last came on a possession in which the Fighting Illini grabbed had offensive rebounds and ended with a David Mrikovic tip-in to cut the deficit to 31-27.

Johnson capped his strong half in his old stomping grounds by scoring seven straight for Michigan. He turned a steal into a fast-break opportunity and a trip to the free-throw line. He scored on a pair of put-backs. He had a layup in transition after a steal by Lendeborg. The Wolverines led by as much as nine before they took a 38-31 lead into the break.