Ohio State came into the rivalry matchup squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble, desperately seeking a signature win. Playing in front of its largest home crowd of the season, the Buckeyes were unable to deliver, as No. 2 Michigan came into Columbus and controlled the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer, rolling to an 82–61 victory.
With the loss, Ohio State falls to 15–8 (7–6), while Michigan improves to 22–1 (12–1). The Buckeyes managed to hang around for stretches, but every push was met with an answer from the deeper, more talented Wolverines, who eventually pulled away for good late in the game, leaving the home team searching for answers in their largest margin of defeat of the season.
Michigan shot 45.8% from the floor and knocked down 10 of 24 from three, while holding Ohio State to just 36.4% shooting and 7 of 22 from beyond the arc. The Wolverines dictated the game in every phase, dominating the glass 44–31 — including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points — and turning 12 Buckeye turnovers into 20 points.
Bruce Thornton paced Ohio State with 16 points and six rebounds, while Devin Royal came on late to finish with 15 points and six boards. Christoph Tilly chipped in 10 in the losing effort. Michigan was led by a game-high 24 points from Aday Mara, while Yaxel Lendenborg posted a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double. Trey McKenney added 12 points, and Morez Johnson contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds.
1st Half
Michigan jumped out to a 7–2 start, with Ohio State’s only points coming on a Christoph Tilly finish from the right block. Tilly then knocked down a pair of threes around a Michigan basket to trim the deficit to one, but the Wolverines answered with two more scores of their own. Fueled by five offensive rebounds, Michigan carried a 13–8 lead into the first media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Taison Chatman knocked down a three to cut the deficit to two, but Michigan responded with five straight points to extend its lead to 18–11 at the under-12 media timeout. Bruce Thornton halted the run with a 12-foot pull-up in the lane and then added a transition layup to trim the margin to three.
Michigan answered with a three from the left wing to quiet the crowd, but Thornton came right back with a short pull-up jumper. Ohio State pulled closer when Thornton set up Amare Bynum for a thunderous dunk that energized the arena and cut the deficit to two. The Wolverines, however, scored the next five points to push the lead back out to 26–19 heading into the under-8 media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Thornton drove the baseline and kicked it out to Amare Bynum on the wing for a three, and after a defensive stop, Devin Royal crashed the glass for an offensive rebound and finished off the window. Michigan slowed the momentum with back-to-back threes, but the Buckeyes countered with a pair of Ivan Njegovan free throws to keep it within reach.
The Wolverines knocked down yet another three, though John Mobley answered quickly with a driving layup on the other end. Michigan continued its hot shooting from deep, hitting one more triple to stretch the margin to 10, taking a 38–28 lead into the under-4 media timeout.
Njegovan went back to the line out of the timeout and split a pair, but Michigan answered with another three to push the lead further. Thornton responded with a triple of his own from the right wing. The Wolverines converted an old-fashioned three-point play to extend the margin, but a backcourt foul sent Ohio State to the other end where Chatman calmly knocked down both free throws with 15 seconds left in the half.
After a Michigan 30-second timeout, the Wolverines advanced the ball and looked to score late, but Bynum came over to swat away a driving layup attempt, sending the teams to the locker room with Michigan holding a 44–34 advantage.
The first half was defined by Michigan’s work on the offensive glass and its perimeter shooting. The Wolverines owned a 25–19 rebounding edge, including 12 offensive boards that turned into 12 second-chance points. Ohio State actually shot a better percentage from the field (40% to 38%), but Michigan’s 9-of-18 performance from three — well above its 35% season average — proved to be the difference. The Buckeyes went 5-of-14 from deep and, despite hanging around, still faced a 10-point halftime deficit.
Bruce Thornton paced Ohio State with nine first-half points, while Michigan was led by 7-2 center Aday Mara, who scored 10 points and knocked down 2 of his 3 attempts from beyond the arc.
2nd Half
Ohio State looked to chip further into the deficit, but when Bynum drove the baseline, he was met by multiple defenders. Despite clear contact, an offensive foul was whistled on Bynum, handing the ball back to Michigan. The Wolverines capitalized with another basket, and on the ensuing possession, Royal appeared to be pulled on his drive, yet another offensive foul was called — again giving Michigan possession.
A transition dunk on the other end prompted Jake Diebler to call timeout with 15:07 remaining as Michigan stretched its lead to 54–39. Thornton knocked down a pair of free throws out of the break to trim the deficit, and after Tilly deflected a Wolverine pass, Thornton finished in transition to cut it to 11.
Ohio State forced another turnover moments later, leading Michigan to burn a timeout at the 13:56 mark with its lead reduced to 54–43. The Wolverines steadied themselves with a pair of baskets to halt the surge, but after more than four scoreless minutes for the Buckeyes, Chatman finally broke the drought with a three from the right wing. Michigan answered with a finish off the glass, and with 8:15 remaining, held a 60–46 advantage.
Royal knocked down a 15-footer, but Michigan answered with a jumper of its own. On the next possession, Mobley attacked the rim, drew contact, and calmly sank both free throws. The Wolverines responded again with a finish at the basket, and after being fouled in the frontcourt, Tilly stepped to the line and converted both attempts.
Michigan then delivered the decisive blow — a 9–0 run that pushed the lead to a game-high 21. Royal split a pair at the stripe to halt the surge, but the Wolverines countered with a dunk. Royal connected on a 12-foot fadeaway, though back-to-back Michigan buckets stretched the margin further as the sellout crowd began heading for the exits.
Royal added a 16-foot jumper to stop the bleeding, but with just over two minutes remaining, the result was no longer in doubt. Following a backcourt turnover, Royal scored again, only to see Michigan grab a pair of offensive rebounds that led to another basket. The Wolverines tacked on one more score before Royal finished at the rim to cap the scoring in a resounding Michigan victory.
Game Wrap
In a result that likely satisfied plenty of the national talking heads, Michigan proved to be too much for Ohio State, controlling every facet of the game and never giving the Buckeyes a realistic chance at an upset. Just a couple weeks removed from having the Wolverines on the ropes in Ann Arbor before Michigan pulled away late, any hope Ohio State had of flipping the script evaporated quickly in this one.
Michigan caught fire from three in the first half and paired that with suffocating perimeter defense, making life difficult on nearly every Buckeye possession. Michigan was the more physical team from the get-go and Ohio State was unable to match that physicality and didn’t do enough to take them out of their rhythm and set the tone from the outset not allowing Ohio State much in the way of any positive runs. The Wolverines are ranked second in the country for a reason, but Ohio State did little on this day to truly test them despite playing in front of a fired-up home crowd. Despite the loss, there is nothing to be ashamed of for the Buckeyes. The depth and talent of the Wolverine roster will make them a tough team to beat for anyone, and they showed why on this day as they were clearly the better team.
It’s a missed opportunity, but far from a must-win. There are still ample chances ahead for Ohio State to secure that elusive signature victory. If the Buckeyes expect to hear their name called on Selection Sunday, they’ll need a strong finish over the final eight games to solidify their résumé.
This matchup also underscored the contrast in roster construction. Michigan, bolstered by significant transfer portal additions and strong administrative backing, has built a deep, high-level roster. Ohio State, while certainly talented, still feels a step behind in terms of institutional investment in basketball. Until the program commits the financial resources necessary to consistently compete at the highest level in this new era of college basketball, the results may continue to reflect that gap — regardless of who is on the sideline and for the record, I firmly believe Jake Diebler is the right guy. He has the passion, integrity and the Ohio High School ties that can get the program where it wants to be if the administration fully supports him financially and it remains to be seen if that script will flip in the coming years.
That said, the Buckeyes absolutely have the pieces to make the NCAA Tournament. They are clearly facing some adversity, but how they respond will be critical to see if they are able to reach that goal. The next run of games will determine whether that potential becomes reality — and it all begins Wednesday in a game Ohio State desperately needs.
Box Score
*Official statistics provided courtesy of The Ohio State University and Sidearm Sports.
Ohio State gets back in action on Wednesday evening welcoming USC to the Schott for a 6:30 PM tip and airing on BTN.
-Jason Harris