Michigan goes from worst to first with help from unlikely sources: How the Wolverines won the Big Ten title

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A big ‘ol party erupted in the bowels of the State Farm Center just moments after No. 3 Michigan dominated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 Friday to clinch the Big Ten regular-season championship outright. Michigan coach Dusty May was chest-bumping anybody and everybody he could find. Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 mountain of a man, galloped down the ramp smacking his ring finger, begging for his championship hardware. Illinois transfer Morez Johnson, who endured three hours of tongue-lashing and a barrage of, uh, unkind texts after his phone number was leaked, carried his Big Ten Championship trophy into the opposing locker room like a king with his prize. 

In the middle of the madhouse, Nimari Burnett could only think of one term that’s littered across Michigan’s walls: “Those who stay will be champions.” The all-time phrase was coined by Bo Schembechler, Michigan’s Hall of Fame football coach, and it embodies plenty of what makes this Michigan group tick.

Two years ago, Burnett and Will Tschetter had to sit in this exact locker room in Champaign and stare at the walls after a 97-68 beatdown at the hands of Illinois All-American Terrence Shannon. It was one of many drubbings in an 8-24 season that resulted in Juwan Howard’s termination.

“We have a lot of memories in that locker room; none of them good,” Tschetter told CBS Sports. “For us to come back in here and get this dub in this fashion and clinch that thing outright, it means the world. Very, very cool.”

The Dusty May era may have ushered in a wave of hope for Michigan basketball, but there was real consternation for both Burnett and Tschetter about what was in store with a new regime.

Do they want us?

Will we get to play?

“When you’re on a team that’s 8-24, you think,  ‘Oh, man, they might want to clear house,'” Tschetter says. “But you know, after talking with him, we were on the same wavelength. … You can’t put a price on some things and this is one of those things for sure. Having the trust and the relationship with Dusty and the guys that he was gonna bring in, I truly thought we’d be Big Ten championship contenders and Final Four contenders. You can’t put a price on that. So super obviously thankful for him to be a part of this.”

Burnett and Tschetter didn’t just stay. They’ve become pillars of this squad. Burnett has started all 29 games and has embraced his 3-and-D role. Tschetter is the ninth man on some nights and the seventh man on others. His attitude doesn’t appear to change regardless if he plays seven minutes or 17 like he did Friday.

They both knocked down treys in the second half to deliver Michigan’s knockout punch.

“We kept those guys because we believed in who they are as people, first and foremost,” May said. “That was a tough season for Michigan basketball, and there was a handful of guys that we couldn’t recruit for various reasons. And then there’s a handful that we thought might fit our culture as far as work ethic and talent. They had a baseline of talent, but Nimari and Will were both guys who dove in from Day One, and they wanted Michigan to be back in this position. It was that simple.

“There was never a conversation as far as shots. As far as position. They’ve taken both of those guys have taken a major, major, sacrifice for this group. You know, Nimari played point guard on that team. 

Now he’s probably our fifth playmaker on the team because Aday [Mara], Elliot [Cadeau], and the rest of these guys. Will Tschetter has been an absolute star from Day One with the role-playing and the daily intangibles. We wouldn’t be here without those guys.”

Burnett says he knew this Michigan group was special back in September. The size, the power, the physicality. All of it. 

“Although that’s easy to say now,” Burnett says with a laugh.

Burnett’s visions have come to life, and they were punctuated with March looming. Michigan’s two-way paint dominance was on full display. Johnson was utterly unstoppable on his way to 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mara delivered maybe the best game of his season, considering the stakes. Mara dominated the second half with 19 points and numerous thunderous dunks. 

The bully of the Big Ten added yet another thing to its ever-growing list of accomplishments. It’s Michigan that is the undisputed champ. 

“I stayed for days just like this,” Burnett said. “Believing in Dusty May. Believing in the staff, knowing that they have a great plan. know how to win at a high level, you know, and know how to maximize us as players. And that’s this is what it’s all about, right? It’s about winning, doing it together, enjoying these moments.”