The Michigan Wolverines captured the Big Ten championship this afternoon as they defeated the Purdue Boilermakers by the final score of 74-66. The win gives the Wolverines the automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 13.

Teske shines

Before this game began, not many people would have bet that Michigan big man Jon Teske would have been a huge reason Michigan would beat the Boilermakers - but he certainly was. Teske, who averaged three points per game during the 2017-18 regular season, scored 14 points today, going 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.

Michigan coach John Beilein put Teske in early in the game when Moritz Wagner picked up a foul in the first few minutes of play. The move worked out great, as Teske seized the moment and played his best game of the season.

Wagner finished the game with 17 points and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 15 points to help the Wolverines run through Purdue at Madison Square Garden in New York today (March 4), but this game will go down for Wolverine fans as the Teske terror! Wagner, who was named the tournament's most outstanding player, said after the game that Teske was the MVP of this game and deserves a lot of credit.

Two in a row for Wolverines

The third time turned out to be the charm for the Michigan Wolverines against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Michigan lost both regular-season matchups against Purdue, however, they defeated them when it mattered most - with a championship on the line.

Now that the Wolverines are champions of the Big Ten, could they receive a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament? The basketball experts were whispering how Michigan State or Purdue could both possibly be in the running for a No.

1 spot, so why not Michigan?

The Wolverines finished with a 28-7 record overall, an RPI ranking of 16, and ended the season on a nine-game winning streak. Oh yeah, and they defeated both Purdue and Michigan State in the process - not to mention a very strong Nebraska team as well. While the Wolverines probably won't receive a No.

1 seed, they definitely deserve to be a top three or four team no matter what bracket they end up in.

No matter where the Wolverines are placed in this year's NCAA tournament bracket, they are going to be a tough team to beat. The official announcement for each team that made it into the upcoming big dance will be announced on Selection Sunday, which is one week from today.
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