With No. 3 Purdue in town, Michigan hung around for most of the first half, but once the Big Ten-leading Boilermakers established a lead of multiple possessions, the Wolverines couldn't make a comeback.
Zach Edey scored 35 points as Michigan suffered its 20th loss of the season. Here are three takeaways from the loss, as the Wolverines drop to 8-20 overall and 3-14 in the Big Ten.
No stopping Zach Edey
Zach Edey was simply unstoppable on Sunday afternoon. Michigan got in serious foul trouble early, and it was impossible for the Wolverines to properly defend Edey and the Boilermakers.
Edey finished the game with 35 points, while both Tarris Reed Jr. and Will Tschetter fouled out. The Purdue big man converted on 14 of his 18 shots from the field and made seven of his 11 free throw attempts.
It's easy to see why Edey is the reigning National Player of the Year, and Michigan had no answer for him on Sunday afternoon. The 7-foot-4 center only scored 16 points in the first matchup with Michigan this season, but the Boilermakers were in such control of that game that Purdue didn't need Edey to be excellent.
But when it mattered most on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Edey was magnificent, and he single-handedly ruined Michigan's hopes of an upset.
Foul trouble and depth cause major problems
Part of Michigan's trouble guarding Edey was that the Wolverines got in significant foul trouble early on. Tarris Reed Jr. picked up his second foul with just under 16 minutes to play in the first half. Meanwhile, starters Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter had trouble staying on the floor, too. Reed Jr., Burnett and Tschetter all committed three fouls in the first half.
Tray Jackson also had two fouls, meaning all potential defenders of Edey were in foul trouble.
Tschetter fouled out with 7:38 to go in the game, and Reed Jr. followed Tschetter to the bench just minutes later on a questionable call near the sideline.
Depth has been a problem for the Wolverines all season, but the lack of bodies combined with the foul trouble that comes with trying to guard Edey made Sunday afternoon's contest an almost guaranteed loss.
First 20-loss season since 2007-08
Michigan has now officially lost 20 games in a season for the first time since 2007-08, which was John Beilein's first season with the program. That Michigan team finished the season 10-22, which is the worst season by win percentage (.313) since the turn of the century.
What makes matters even worse for this year's Wolverines is that there are still three more games left in the regular season and one guaranteed contest in the Big Ten Tournament.
It truly is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons in program history, and it'll be one that many Michigan fans will hope to forget about. If the Wolverines lose at least three of their final four guaranteed games, they will have lost the most games by any team in program history.
Rutgers is Michigan's next opponent. The Wolverines will head to the RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the Scarlet Knights on Thursday.
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