Michigan basketball survived a scare against its biggest rival.
No. 3 Michigan beat Ohio State 71-67 in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, surviving a late run from the 8-seed Buckeyes. Wolverines’ center Aday Mara finished with a team-high 17 points, while reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg finished with only six points, though he did make the final two free throws to secure the win for the Wolverines.
Michigan is the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament after finishing conference play 19-1 and undefeated on the road. The Wolverines will play the winner of a quarterfinal contest between 4-seed Illinois and 5-seed Wisconsin.
Watch Big Ten tournament on Fubo
Here’s how it all went down.
Michigan basketball next opponent
Michigan moves on to the semifinals to face the winner of a quarterfinal game between 4-seed Illinois and 5-seed Wisconsin. That game will take place on Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. ET at United Center.
Michigan beats Ohio State 71-67
FINAL: Michigan 71, Ohio State 67.
Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg was fouled on the inbounds play with six seconds left, sending him to the free-throw line. He made both free throws to ice the game.
Michigan survives a scare against its biggest rival and advances to the semifinals.
Michigan and Ohio State trade free throws
2H, 0:20: Michigan 69, Ohio State 67.
Ohio State guard John Mobley missed an open layup attempt with about 30 seconds left, but a foul on Michigan center Aday Mara sent Ohio State forward Devin Royal to the free-throw line, where he made only one attempt.
Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau was fouled on the next possession but only made one of two free throws, as well. A bucket from Royal made it a two-point game with six seconds left, but it might not be enough time for the Buckeyes to look for the tie.
Michigan in the driver’s seat
2H, 1:00: Michigan 68, Ohio State 64.
Michigan has the ball up by four points with one minute left in the game. One more Michigan bucket (or two free throws) should end this game.
Michigan not pulling away
2H, 1:59: Michigan 67, Ohio State 64.
Michigan has gone 14-for-18 from the free-throw line, and considering how close this game is, they might need to make a few more to survive.
Michigan is still up with two minutes to play, but the Buckeyes are hanging around.
Michigan takes lead back
2H, 3:35: Michigan 64, Ohio State 62.
Two free throws from Elliot Cadeau brough Michigan back even with Ohio State at 62-62 with under five minutes left in the game.
A Morez Johnson Jr. layup attempt was blocked about a minute later following a block from Michigan center Aday Mara, but Ohio State forward Amare Bynum was called for a goaltending foul, allowing Michigan to retake the lead. It was Michigan’s first made field goal in over six minutes.
Ohio State takes first lead of game
1H, 5:23: Ohio State 61, Michigan 60.
Two made free throws from Ohio State star Bruce Thornton brought him to 20 points for the game and brought the Buckeyes to within three points of the Wolverines. Two possessions later, a foul on Thornton sent Michigan guard Nimari Burnett to the line, with Burnett making one of two free throws and extending Michigan’s lead to four points.
Ohio State brought it back to two points after two made free throws from forward Amare Bynum, once again getting within striking distance. But this time the Buckeyes capitalized, with a 3-pointer from forward Devin Royal giving Ohio State its first lead of the game.
Aday Mara, Elliot Cadeau heat up
2H, 10:59: Michigan 55, Ohio State 52.
An and-one tip-in bucket from Michigan center Aday Mara helped extend Michigan’s lead to five points, while two free throws from guard Elliot Cadeau brought it up to seven. Michigan has had trouble finding the easy buckets, but is shooting 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, something that may come into play more as the game continues.
Cadeau (11 points), Mara (11 points) and shooting guard Trey McKenney (12 points) are all in double figures for the Wolverines, but the game’s leading scorer is Ohio State star Bruce Thornton with 18 points.
Michigan leads by three after a flurry of baskets from both sides near the midway point of the half.
Scoring slows down
2H, 14:09: Michigan 46, Ohio State 44.
Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau regained the lead for Michigan with a penetration layup, marking just the seventh Michigan point in the second half after nearly six minutes played.
Both defenses have locked down after a flurry of early scoring, but the Wolverines lead is just at two points.
Ohio State ties game early in second half
2H, 15:45: Michigan 44, Ohio State 44.
Ohio State tied the game at 44-44 after four consecutive Buckeye buckets ended with a layup from Christoph Tilly off a steal, marking the first time they haven’t trailed since the game started at 0-0.
The Wolverines have gotten early second-half buckets from big men Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., but have also turned the ball over twice in the half and have struggled to find an offensive rhythm.
Elliot Cadeau steal punctuates half
End 1H: Michigan 39, Ohio State 35.
An steal from Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau led to two made free-throws, helping the Wolverines keep their lead just before halftime.
Worrisome for Michigan is the rebounding battle, with the Buckeyes up 19 to 14 while recording seven offensive rebounds. Still, Michigan has the lead heading into halftime.
Ohio State storming back
1H, 0:30: Michigan 37, Ohio State 33.
Down by as much as 11 points, a 3-pointer from Ohio State forward Amare Bynum brought the Buckeyes within three points. Ohio State’s rebounding proficiency has given them plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities, a big reason why the Buckeyes are keeping pace despite the disparity in shooting percentage (50% to 38%).
Yaxel Lendeborg throws it down
1H, 3:51: Michigan 31, Ohio State 25.
Following Burnett’s dunk, Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg had a highlight-reel slam late in the first half, one that gave the Wolverines a 29-18 lead.
The 2026 Big Ten Player of the Year has had a quiet scoring day so far with just three points, but has added three assists and a steal to his stat line.
Nimari Burnett with transition dunk
1H, 8:35: Michigan 25, Ohio State 14.
Michigan guard Nimari Burnett made a tough transition dunk to start a five-point swing for the Wolverines. He leads all scorers with eight points so far.
Michigan shooting 70% from the field so far
1H 11:11: Michigan 20, Ohio State 11.
A Trey McKenney 3-pointer and two free throws from Roddy Gayle extended Michigan’s lead to 10 points five minutes into the first half.
Five early points from Ohio State forward Devin Royal have kept the Buckeyes hanging around, however, despite the Wolverines having a massive edge in shooting percentage so far (70% to 29%). But Ohio State needs to start making buckets at a faster clip if they want to keep up for the rest of the half.
Michigan gets out to fast start
1H, 15:54: Michigan 10, Ohio State 5.
Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. got established early, scoring the first two buckets for the Wolverines. Shooting guard Nimari Burnett then buried a 3-pointer, bringing Michigan to a 7-0 lead before Ohio State got its first bucket.
Johnson leads all scorers with six points.
Ohio State starting five
Ohio State’s starting lineup features its two leading scorers from this season, guard Bruce Thornton (20.2 ppg) and guard John Mobley Jr. (15.8 ppg).
Michigan starting five
No surprises with Michigan’s starting five, with the Wolverines’ three big men filling out the lineup.
Tipoff at 12:07 p.m. ET
Per the countdown clock on the top banner on the broadcast, tipoff for the quarterfinal matchup between Michigan and Ohio State will be at 12:07 p.m. ET.
So if you’re not quite ready at noon, you’ll have a few minutes to take care of your business.
Michigan basketball vs Ohio State 2026 results
Michigan and Ohio State have met up twice this season, with Michigan taking both contests.
Michigan availability report vs Ohio State
Ohio State forward Brandon Noel, who hasn’t played a game since Jan. 5, has been listed as questionable ahead of the Big Ten quarterfinal game against Michigan. It was previously reported that Noel could return for the Big Ten Tournament after being listed as day-do-day.
Michigan: G Winters Grady (out), G L.J. Cason (out for the season).
Ohio State: F Josh Ojianwuna (out), G Myles Herro (out for the season), G Taison Chatman (questionable), F Puff Johnson (questionable), F Brandon Noel (questionable).
Michigan players wearing L.J. Cason jerseys
As has been somewhat of a tradition this season, Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg arrived to the game at United Center wearing the jersey of another Michigan player. This time, it was that of L.J. Cason, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Illinois on Feb. 27.
Michigan basketball time vs Ohio State
Michigan basketball channel vs Ohio State
Friday’s Big Ten quarterfinal matchup between Michigan and Ohio State can be watched on Big Ten Network and streamed on Fubo.
Watch Michigan basketball on Fubo
Michigan basketball odds vs Ohio State
This section will be updated when odds become available.
Big Ten men’s basketball 2026 standings
Here are the rest of the standings (and their slots in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament):
Big Ten men’s basketball first round scores
Big Ten men’s basketball second round scores
Big Ten men’s basketball third round scores
Big Ten men’s basketball quarterfinals: Friday, March 13
Big Ten men’s basketball semifinals: Saturday, March 14
Big Ten men’s basketball championship: Sunday, March 15
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan advances in Big
Ten Tournament with 71-67 win over Ohio State
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
