No. 10 Illinois outclassed in 84-70 loss to Morez Johnson Jr. and No. 3 Michigan, who clinch Big Ten title

CHAMPAIGN — The Orange Krush was ready for Morez Johnson Jr. on Friday night at State Farm Center.

The Illinois student section printed giant AI photos of Johnson, wearing a clown face and a jersey that read traitor on the front, and they waved them at Michigan as the Wolverines warmed up for the top-10 showdown.

Johnson, however, was ready for Illinois.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore out of Thornton, who transferred to Ann Arbor after one season at Illinois, carried No. 3 Michigan in the first half with 13 of his 19 points. He added 11 rebounds. Michigan 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara took over in the second half, scoring 15 of his 19 points to lead the Wolverines to an 84-70 victory over the No. 10 Illini.

Michigan (27-2, 17-1) won the Big Ten regular-season title outright with the victory after securing a share of it with its 77-67 win over Minnesota on Tuesday. Illinois (22-7, 13-5), which has lost four of its last six, has two games left in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament.

Multiple former Illini players were in the house, including Meyers Leonard, Brandon Paul and Luther Head, to cheer on the biggest home contest of the season. But they watched the Illini’s upset effort fizzle out.

The Illini cut it to 53-48 on freshman Keaton Wagler’s 3-pointer with 13:09 to play, but they wouldn’t get any closer.

Michigan graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg helped keep Wagler in check in the first half, when Wagler had just six points. Wagler turned it on in the second half, finishing with 23 points and three assists, but he also had four turnovers.

Lendeborg added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Johnson scored Michigan’s final seven points of the first half to help the Wolverines to a 38-31 halftime lead. The Illini kept it close for much of the half, but the Wolverines showcased their ability to answer in quick spurts, scoring 10 fast-break points.

After Wagler completed a four-point play to give Illinois a 16-11 lead, Michigan went on an 11-0 run and didn’t trail again.

Johnson, the 2024 Mr. Basketball of Illinois, averaged seven points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2024-25 for the Illini but transferred to Michigan in the spring. He entered the game averaging 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds this season.