Donaldson helps No. 22 Michigan
rally late again to beat No. 18 Wisconsin 59-53 for Big Ten title
[March 17, 2025]
By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tre Donaldson seems to have this March Madness
stuff down pat.
The Michigan guard delivered his second clutch play in two days,
this time making the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:54 left to send No.
22 Michigan past No. 18 Wisconsin 59-53 for the Big Ten Tournament
title Sunday.
Donaldson scored 11 points and had eight assists one day after
catching an inbound pass on the run with 5.3 seconds left and
driving the length of the floor for the winning layup in a semifinal
victory over Maryland, rekindling images from past NCAA Tournaments.
Now, Donaldson and his teammates want to stay focused on the future
and keep this momentum for three more weeks.
“I know who I am, I knew who my team is,” Donaldson said after also
recording eight assists. “It was just the desire to win. I want to
win. It’s just me bringing that energy; I feel that was a big thing.
I brought the energy.”
And a penchant for making big-time plays.
The Wolverines (25-9) arrived in Indianapolis trying to snap a
three-game losing streak that cost them the regular season title and
winning the school’s first tourney title since winning it
back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
There was nothing easy about it for Michigan.
The Wolverines needed three wins in three days, starting against a
Purdue team playing just about an hour's drive from campus. The
Wolverines then needed Donaldson’s heroics to reach the title game.
So, on a day both teams looked fatigued, they outlasted Wisconsin
(26-9) playing its fourth game in four days.
Vladislav Goldin also scored 11 points Sunday and was named the
tourney's Most Outstanding Player.
But nobody was better this weekend than Donaldson,
“I don't remember the details of what was said at halftime, but I
knew we were going to have to dig deep and find a way,” first-year
Michigan coach Dusty May said. “Granted, we got a break by not
playing four games in four days and we were optimstic their legs
might not fare as well as ours.”
Donaldson's fast pace made sure of it.
The result: Wisconsin shot just 22.1% from the field and only 17.9%
of 3-pointers as the game slipped away.
[to top of second column] |
Wisconsin guard Kamari McGee (4) shoots on Michigan guard Nimari
Burnett (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball
game in the championship of the Big Ten Conference tournament in
Indianapolis, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan closed it on an 11-2 run.
John Tonje, the Badgers top scorer, was 1 of 14 from the field with
nine points. John Blackwell scored 18 for Wisconsin, which still
hasn't won a tourney title since 2015.
“We had some wide open looks, one on the corner. Blackwell had one
wide open up off the slot, up one,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said.
“If you’re going to win a championship, you’ve got to make a play,
and part of making a play is knocking down a shot in a tight
ballgame.”
Michigan and Donaldson did, Wisconsin and Tonje didn’t.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: Two days after tying a tourney single-game record with 19
3-pointers, the Badgers were just 15 of 68 from the field.
Michigan: The Wolverines lost the rebounding battle overall, but won
it late and that proved the difference as they overcame fatigue to
grind out a victory.
Key moment
Donaldson's 3 with 1:52 left finally gave Michigan the lead and
fueled the decisive spurt.
Key stat
Wisconsin was a dismal 7 of 39 (17.9%) from 3-point range.
Up next
The Badgers and Wolverines will see each other again Thursday in
Denver when third-seeded Wisconsin faces 14th-seeded Montana. The
fifth-seeded Wolverines take on 12-seed UC-San Diego.
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