Mara powers Michigan forward
Michigan beat Ohio State 71-67 in a Big Ten quarterfinal, with Aday Mara leading the way — 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 28 minutes — and the Wolverines moved into the semifinals at the United Center on March 13 Big Ten bracket Mara statline. Mara’s paint dominance and boards are cementing his first-round NBA draft profile as Michigan chases the conference title recap.
Mara delivered a 13‑point second‑half burst that flipped momentum in the fourth quarter msn.com. He leads the Big Ten with 80 total blocks (2.58 per game) and ranks fifth nationally, while averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds this season bigten.org. The conference named him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on March 10, making him Michigan’s first recipient of the award since Gary Grant in 1987‑88 bigten.org. Michigan, the Big Ten regular‑season champion and No. 1 seed, now meets No. 23 Wisconsin in Saturday’s semifinal at the United Center with tipoff set for noon CT on CBS mgoblue.com. Scouting outlets have bumped Mara into first‑round/draft conversations this year, with multiple prospect profiles calling him a legitimate first‑round (even lottery‑caliber) candidate thanks to his rim protection and passing upside sportscasting.com.
