In a game that never had a lead larger than 5 points in the opening 30 minutes, the Buckeyes won a thriller in Indianapolis to down their rival and advance to the Big Ten title game for the first time since 2013.
No. 9 Ohio State (21-8, 13-8) used an 11-0 run in the second half to create separation against No. 4 Michigan (20-4, 14-4) Saturday to lift them past the Wolverines 68-67. The Buckeyes used big performances from their leading scorers to take the lead, but a late Michigan rally came up just short as graduate guard Mike Smith missed a last-second shot to win the game.
Despite Michigan’s ability to claw back into the game, head coach Chris Holtmann said Ohio State’s second half surge was the difference in the game.
“I just think this group has real fight to them,” Holtmann said. “We use words like grit way too much — we do it as coaches — but this team has that. It has that at a high level and I think that was evident in that stretch.”
For Ohio State’s top scorers, the opening minutes proved unkind, and sophomore forward E.J. Liddell and junior guard Duane Washington Jr. combined to open the game 1-of-10 from the field.
Despite the inefficient start, both players rebounded to provide a scoring punch for the offense. Washington scored 19 points in the second half to finish with 24 while Liddell tallied 18 points and five rebounds by the final buzzer. The duo combined for Ohio State’s first 22 second-half points.
“Coach (Chris Holtmann) gave us a good motivational talk at halftime,” Washington said. “He told me and E.J. to step it up and all the guys to step it up.”
In the Feb. 21 meeting with the Wolverines, Washington and Liddell combined for 53 points in the loss.
The Buckeyes found most of their offensive success from 3-point range, where they shot 54 percent. However, that scoring prowess from deep did not translate to inside the arc as they shot just 34.2 percent on 2-point attempts.
The Wolverines couldn’t get the lid off of the basket in the first half, shooting 30 percent from the field. Michigan’s shooting struggles remained a trend throughout the game as the Wolverines finished shooting just 35 percent.
Holtmann attributed Ohio State’s win Saturday to its improvement on the defensive end since its last meeting with the Wolverines.
“I think that was the difference, that’s really been the difference in this tournament,” Holtmann said. “It’s [the players], they’re the ones who really renewed a commitment (to defense) and hopefully that will continue.”
Although both teams struggled to knock down shots, the Wolverines held a distinct advantage from the charity stripe in the opening 20 minutes. Michigan knocked down 9-of-10 free throws in the first half while the Buckeyes missed on all four attempts.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines combined to score 35 less points than they did in the opening half of their first meeting.
On the other end, freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who tallied 22 points and nine rebounds in the teams’ first meeting, got going in the opening half. The 7-footer dropped 6 points and hauled in five rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Dickinson finished the game with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.
Despite being without senior forward Kyle Young — who leads the Buckeyes in offensive rebounds with 1.7 per game — Ohio State staked out a 37-36 advantage on the glass.
On the Michigan front, junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. was tasked with filling in for injured senior forward Isaiah Livers, who is averaging 13.1 points and six rebounds per game on the season.
Entering the game averaging just 4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game this season, Johns tallied 7 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.
Although the Buckeyes knocked off the regular season champion Saturday, another difficult task awaits them Sunday against either No. 3 Illinois or No. 5 Iowa.
“We’ve beat both of those teams before, and I just know what we can go out there and do,” Liddell said. “We gotta keep our heads on straight and stay connected.”
Ohio State takes on the Illini or Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Photos by Mackenzie Shanklin
This story was updated Saturday, March 13 at 4:21 p.m. with quotes from Chris Holtmann, Duane Washington Jr. and E.J. Liddell
