Michigan Remains Undefeated, Stomps Villanova 89-61 At Chrisler
I was curious to see if the Wolverines men’s basketball team was going to pummel another opponent. They’ve been destroying teams lately, and I wanted to see if that trend would keep rolling. Well, I got exactly what I expected. Michigan, ranked No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the AP Poll, didn’t just beat Villanova — they dismantled them. The 89-61 final somehow feels closer than what actually happened as Dusty May’s squad pushed its undefeated record to 9-0.
This wasn’t just another non-conference win. It was Michigan’s sixth straight blowout by 25+ points, a run that no longer feels like a hot streak but a warning to everyone else. Villanova entered Ann Arbor with a solid 7-2 record — and left with a 28-point reminder of just how dominant this Michigan team has become. For Wolverines fans, nights like this are starting to feel routine.
STATS CAPSULE (max 3 per category)
📊 Final Score
- Michigan 89
- Villanova 61
- Michigan led by 30 at halftime
🔥 Top Wolverines Performers
- Elliot Cadeau — 18 pts, 4 ast, 4 threes
- Aday Mara — 11 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk
- Trey McKenney — 10 pts off the bench
🔐 Defensive Domination
- Held Villanova to 34% shooting
- Forced 15 turnovers
- Held Nova scoreless for final 6:32 of 1st half
The Elliot Cadeau Show
The story of the night — and maybe the whole season so far — was junior point guard Elliot Cadeau. The North Carolina transfer has been steady all year, but on Tuesday he went to another level. Cadeau dropped 18 points, just one off his career high, and added four assists, but even those numbers don’t show how completely he took over.
He scored 17 of Michigan’s first 24 points, basically ending the game before Villanova even knew what hit them. He knocked down a career-best four threes, attacked the rim, pushed the pace, and looked totally in control. There were long stretches where Villanova just couldn’t guard him — everything he tried seemed to work.
By halftime, Michigan was up 30, and Villanova hadn’t scored for the final 6:32 of the first half.
The Great Wall of Ann Arbor
While Cadeau lit up the perimeter, Michigan’s frontcourt owned the paint.
The portal pairing of Aday Mara (UCLA) and Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) has turned the Wolverines’ interior into a fortress.
- Mara, the 7-foot-3 eraser, swatted two shots — continuing his streak of recording at least one block in every game this season. He added 11 points and eight boards and changed countless other shots.
- Johnson pulled down 10 rebounds and chipped in seven points, once again setting a physical tone.
The most telling stat:
Villanova entered the game ranked No. 3 nationally in offensive rebounding. Michigan held them to a season-low five offensive boards.
When you get zero second chances against this defense, the game is already over.
Depth That Demoralizes
Six different Wolverines finished near double figures — that is balance acorss the lineup, and on a night where season leading scorer Yexel Lendenborg only notched 9 points, points need to come from elsewhere.
On this night, the bench chipped in 39 points, overwhelming Villanova’s second unit.
- Roddy Gayle Jr. continued thriving in his role with 9 points and 7 boards.
- Trey McKenney, the star freshman, poured in 10 points and looked every bit like a future All-American.
- Yaxel Lendeborg delivered the highlight of the night with a windmill slam off a steal that nearly blew the roof off Crisler.
- Even Will Tschetter drilled an and-one three that kept the crowd humming.
Numbers Don’t Lie?
After the game, i did some research leasing up to my Mitten Minute update, and found that the Wolveries aren’t just beating teams, they are crushing them.
Here are the numbers over the past 5 games
- Michigan is averaging. 97 points per game
- Holding teams to 33% from the field
- Outscoring opponents by 22 in the paint
- Winning by a margin of 37 PPG
That’s not just winning, that’s imposing your will on teams.
Looking Ahead: Maryland
The Wolverines now turn the page to Saturday, December 13th, when they travel to College Park for a Big Ten showdown with Maryland. Michigan also made NCAA history with this win — becoming the first undefeated Division I team this season to record a win over each Power Five conference.
Their résumé is tournament-ready. Their ceiling? Still climbing.
If the Wolverines bring the same defense to College Park that they unleashed on Villanova, the Terrapins could be in for a very long night.
Call your shot— how many games will the Wolverines lost this year? Drop your comment below or join the conversation in the Wolverine Wire — where fans break down every game, every angle.
Info gathered from team reports, pressers & trusted media outlets — the way we always do it at Mitten Sports Talk.
