Ohio State senior forward Kyle Young (25) looks for an open teammate during the Ohio State-Michigan game on Feb. 21. Ohio State lost 87-92. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Although the Wolverines relied heavily on their shooting to open Sunday’s contest, it was ultimately their size that doomed the Buckeyes to their fifth loss of the season.
Led by 7-foot-1 freshman center Hunter Dickinson, No. 3 Michigan (16-1, 11-1) used its size at all positions to its advantage in order to down No. 4 Ohio State (18-5, 12-5). As the Wolverines were able to create mismatches and stake out a clear advantage on the boards due to their size, junior guard Duane Washington Jr. said Michigan’s size is woven into the fabric of their team’s culture.
“They have great size, that’s what they pride themselves on,” Washington said. “They’re long from the two up to the five man, so we knew that going in, we knew they were going to be a physical team.”
Dickinson’s large frame created issues for the Buckeyes defense in all areas throughout Sunday’s game. His presence was especially felt down low, where he scored a majority of his 22 points.
The Virginia native collected a team-high nine rebounds — five of which came on the offensive end. Dickinson’s contributions on the offensive glass helped the Wolverines jump out to a 10-7 offensive rebounding advantage.
As Dickinson led Michigan in scoring and rebounding, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said that his size created issues for the Buckeyes.
“I thought his length and size, at the end of the day, bothered us,” Holtmann said. “He’s a load inside and I thought we were able to attack him in certain ways and make it difficult for him. But at the end of the day, I thought it wasn’t quite enough.”
Dickinson’s impact wasn’t limited to the offensive end of the floor as his size created plenty of problems for the Buckeyes’ offense, collecting two blocks and a steal.
Despite standing four inches shorter than Dickinson, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward E.J. Liddell was able to stake out a strong day offensively despite numerous matchups with the Michigan big.
Liddell finished with 23 points on 7-of-15 from the field and 10 rebounds and said that he needed to adapt his game due to Dickinson’s overwhelming size.
“He’s probably five or six inches taller than me and I just had to adjust,” Liddell said. “I feel like I did well most of the game.”
Despite not even attempting a 3-pointer, Dickinson played a key role in the Wolverine’s 3-point barrage in the game’s opening half.
Pointing to the Michigan big’s gravity on the interior, Holtmann said Dickinson’s presence caused Ohio State defenders to scramble and leave shooters open on the perimeter.
“Some of it was a byproduct of us being in scramble situations, worrying about the big fella too much,” Holtmann said. “They made some hard ones and then some of it was our poor coverage.”
While Dickinson’s size flustered the Buckeyes on the interior, the size and length of Michigan’s guards and wings also contributed to the Wolverine’s victory.
With the game tied at 69 and just six and a half minutes remaining in regulation, senior forward Isaiah Livers and senior guard Chaundee Brown Jr. combined for three offensive rebounds on a single possession — leading to a layup by Brown to give the Wolverines the lead which they would not relinquish.
Holtmann called that possession a “big moment” that led to the Wolverine victory.
“It was certainly an important moment,” Holtmann said. “We can’t beat good teams and allow that number of shots on goal. So, we gotta do better at coaching and playing that.”
As Ohio State has survived previous encounters with Illinois 7-foot sophomore center Kofi Cockburn and Iowa 6-foot-11 senior center Luka Garza, the two remain on the horizon as the Buckeyes near the end of the regular season.
With matchups against the two of the Big Ten’s most dominant big men approaching, Holtmann said the Buckeyes need to improve their play against size.
“They’re some of the best bigs in the country,” Holtmann said. “Kofi’s a nightmare matchup and so is Luka. So I think collectively we gotta find ways to defend those guys better.”
