Senior Bruce Thornton (2) drives to the basket in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan on Friday. Credit: Avi Schoenberg | Assistant Lantern TV Producer
After Michigan’s Feb. 8 matchup against Ohio State, Yaxel Lendeborg was blunt with his evaluation of the two teams.
“They’re a good team, but they don’t belong in the same conversation as us,” Lendeborg said.
At the time, he had a point.
The two teams were in completely different places.
Michigan had just run the Buckeyes off their home floor in a 21-point win and sat atop the national rankings. Ohio State was an NCAA Tournament bubble team still searching for an identity.
Ten games later, the Buckeyes have secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament and have shown, down the stretch, that they can compete with anyone.
A lot can change in a month.
Ohio State went toe to toe with No. 1-seeded Michigan for the game’s final 25 minutes but ultimately ran out of gas in a 71-67 loss in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday at the United Center.
The defeat marked the Buckeyes’ third loss to the Wolverines this season and snapped a four-game winning streak, Ohio State’s longest against high-major opponents since Jake Diebler took over as head coach.
Despite the loss, Diebler was proud of how far his team had come since its last matchup with the Wolverines.
“As we’ve shown, we’ve improved as the year has gone on,” Diebler said. “You certainly want to be playing your best ball at this time of year, and I feel like we’re doing that.”
Gabe Cupps echoed his coach’s sentiment, saying this team feels different from the one that faced the Wolverines just over a month ago.
“100%, I think we’ve been getting better,” Cupps said. “We’re hitting our stride at the right time.”
For the first 15 minutes, though, the game looked familiar.
Just like Thursday against Iowa, Ohio State struggled to find rhythm early. The Wolverines forced the Buckeyes into long possessions as Ohio State opened 2-for-8 from the field.
With 14:31 remaining in the half, the Buckeyes’ offense looked disjointed and overpowered against a stout Michigan defense.
The Wolverines’ offense did not.
Even with stars Lendeborg and Aday Mara combining for one point early, Michigan found scoring through freshman Trey McKenney, who led all scorers with 12 at halftime.
The freshman hit two 3-pointers and led Michigan to a nine-point lead at the first TV timeout.
Despite Michigan shooting 58% in the opening half, Ohio State stayed within reach, trailing by 11 near the second TV timeout thanks to six offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points.
The Buckeyes ultimately finished with a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass, a category they lost by eight in the previous meeting.
“I liked the physicality we played with,” Diebler said. “That was a team that really hurt us on the glass the previous game.”
Unlike the first matchup, when Michigan’s momentum overwhelmed them, the Buckeyes settled in.
A 6-0 run over the next 2:46 provided the first real spark for Ohio State. Forward Brandon Noel, playing for the first time since Jan. 5 after recovering from a foot injury, ignited the surge with a put-back basket.
Ohio State trimmed the lead to two with just over a minute remaining in the half before a late 4-0 Michigan push restored separation.
Then Bruce Thornton responded.
The senior guard drilled a buzzer-beating jumper to send the Buckeyes to the locker room trailing by four but carrying momentum. Thornton steadied Ohio State’s offense throughout the afternoon, finishing with a game-high 22 points and four assists.
The Buckeyes carried that momentum into the second half, tying the game at 44 with 17:22 remaining behind five straight points from John Mobley Jr.
But the next five minutes threatened to undo it.
Michigan responded with a 7-0 run, stalling Ohio State’s offense and reigniting the Wolverine-heavy crowd.
Aday Mara soon took control. After scoring just two points in the first half, the big man scored six straight and finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the second half.
Ohio State trailed by seven with under 10 minutes remaining and appeared to be fading.
Instead, the Buckeyes answered again.
A 10-1 burst over the next four minutes gave Ohio State its first lead of the night with 5:10 to play. Inside the United Center, the crowd sensed the possibility of an upset.
It never came.
Michigan closed the game on a decisive 9-3 run over the final minutes, fueled by missed Ohio State layups and the steady presence of the conference’s top-ranked team.
“This time of the year, everybody is going to have that feeling [of fatigue],” Devin Royal said. “But it’s basketball. You’ve got to get used to it.”
Now, the Buckeyes will turn their attention to Selection Sunday.
For the first time in four years, Ohio State will wait to hear its name called on the NCAA Tournament bracket. And despite the loss, Diebler believes his team is entering March playing its best basketball of the season.
“We’re going to keep riding this momentum,” Diebler said. “I’m excited about what the future holds for this team.”
