
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s safe to say Morez Johnson Jr. got the last laugh.
The Top 10 showdown between Michigan and Illinois was once billed as a potential Big Ten men’s basketball title decider. Results in recent weeks (namely, the Illini hitting a few bumps in what had been a rather smooth conference road) nullified most of the stakes. Michigan was happy to clinch the outright Big Ten crown early, and NCAA tournament seeding is always a conversation.