Morez Johnson Jr. poured in 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against his former team, propelling No. 3 Michigan to a 84-70 victory over No. 10 Illinois and clinching the Big Ten regular-season title outright. Johnson, who played for the Illini last season after verbally committing three years earlier, was booed relentlessly by Illinois fans throughout the game. The win marks Michigan's second outright conference crown in the past decade, following the 2020-21 title, and their third outright title in program history, including a 2014 win at Illinois.

Michigan now holds the most conference victories in school history with 17. The Wolverines also extended their streak of wins against AP-ranked conference opponents to eight, their longest ever and tied for the third-longest in Big Ten history. Keaton Wagler led Illinois with 23 points, scoring in double figures for the 21st consecutive game, but Michigan's defense held firm.

The victory snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois dating back to 2019.