The Ohio State basketball team is playing its best ball at the right time: as the postseason gets underway. After winning four straight, including coveted Quad 1 wins, the Buckeyes appear to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
Before that, OSU was looking to make a run through the Big Ten Tournament after notching a third-round win over Iowa on Thursday. On Friday, the competition bumped up significantly with a game against No. 1 seed Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
We were there during the game for live updates, and here’s how it all played out.
Michigan 71, Ohio State 67 – Final
Yaxel Lendeborg gets fouled immediately after the inbounds pass. He makes both free throws, and the game is over.
Michigan 69, Ohio State 67 – 6.3 seconds left in the second half
Aday Mara gets the ball in the block and misses a baby book. Ohio State rebound. John Mobley Jr. misses a wide open layup; Mara fouls on the attempted rebound. That could hurt the Buckeyes. Devin Royal will shoot two free throws. Makes only one of two. Now Ohio State will have to foul. And they foul Elliot Cadeau. Cadeau makes one of two free throws. Ohio State takes too much time across and makes a basket with 6.3 seconds left.
Michigan 68, Ohio State 64 – 1:00 left in the second half
Bruce Thornton misses a tough shot out of the timeout and now the Buckeyes need a defensive stop. Cadeau misses the 3-point shot, but a foul is called on Gabe Cupps, his first foul of the game. Yaxel Lendeborg will shoot two free throws. He makes one of two and Michigan is up four points with 1:24 left in the game. Thornton misses another tough layup and a timeout is called.
Michigan 67, Ohio State 64 – 1:59 left in the second half
Cadeau makes one of two free throws. Morez Johnson Jr. gets a foul called and Thornton will shoot a one-and-one. He makes the first. And makes the second. One-point game. Cadeau makes a nice spin to the rim and Mara has yet another easy basket. Mara has 17 points in the game. Johnson is not able to convert, and a 30-second timeout is called by Ohio State.
Michigan 64, Ohio State 62 – 3:35 left in the second half
Thornton makes both free throws coming out of the timeout, and Aday Mara misses a basket. Michigan corrals the rebound, but Ohio State puts a hand on it and another jump ball. This time arrow points to Michigan. Michigan cannot convert and Tilly can’t make a difficult layup on the other end. Nimari Burnett draws a foul on Thornton and will shoot two free throws. He makes one of two. Amare Bynum goes to the rim and is able to draw a foul on Roddy Gayle Jr. Bruce finds Gayle for a 3-pointer, and Ohio State takes the lead. Gayle draws a foul and will shoot a one-and-one. He misses the free throw. Lendeborg fouls on the screen, his first foul of the game and Michigan’s eighth. Tilly makes one of two free throws. Cadeau misses a floater but is able to draw a foul on Thornton, who now has three. Something to watch. Cadeau makes both free throws and it’s a tie game. Morez scores on the other end with a goal tend called on Ohio State and Michigan again takes the lead. Great Michigan defense leads to a turnover and Thornton gets his fourth foul call.
Michigan 59, Ohio State 54 – 7:43 left in the second half
Mara hits a 19-foot shot and Michigan is up five. He gets the ball again and is fouled by Brandon Noel, his second foul. He makes both free throws and Tilly makes a difficult shot on the other end. Continues to be the Mara show, however this time he can’t convert the layup and gets an offensive foul called on him. Bruce is able to cut to the paint and put up a shot that does not go in but he is fouled by Burnett. Time out.
Michigan 55, Ohio State 52 – 10:59 left in the second half
Ohio State misses a 3-point attempt out of the timeout, and Morez Johnson draws a foul on Mobley. Cadeau once again sets up Mara for a one hand layin at the rim and he draws a foul. Mara makes the free throw and it’s a five-point Michigan lead. Mobley Jr misses his second straight 3-pointer. Gayle Jr. attacks the rim, and Ohio State earns a jump ball with good defense. Bruce Thornton misses a 3-point shot that hit four spots on the rim. Then commits a foul on Cadeau on the other end. Thornton’s second foul of the game and the team’s fifth. Both free throws made and it’s a seven-point game. Cupps makes a 3-point shot, and Ohio State gets some sorely needed points. Trey Mckenney on the other end drives to the hoop for a layup. Cupps answers with a difficult layup himself. Cadeau misses a 3-point shot and Bruce Thornton hits one on the other end and he looks over at the Michigan bench. Michigan answers with another alley-oop to Mara to quiet the Ohio State crowd.
Michigan 46, Ohio State 44 – 14:09 Left in the second half
Michigan tries an alley-oop lob but does not convert. Thornton attacks the rim and there’s a lot of contact but no foul called. Cadeau makes a layup to snap the scoring drought for both teams. Bruce backs his man down and draws a foul on Gayle Jr, his second. Thornton can’t find someone to catch the inbounds pass and calls a timeout.
Ohio State 44, Michigan 44 – 15:45 left in the second half
Cadeau misses a jumper out of halftime and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton converts on the other end. Mara backs Tilly down drawing a foul on Tilly. Cadeau attacks the rim and gives Mara an easy basket. Michigan and Ohio State trade 3-point shots, and Ohio State is able to steal and get a bucket in transition. The game is tied at 44. Morez turns the ball over and the Buckeyes have an opportunity to grab the lead. Both teams miss shots and there’s a timeout on the court.
Michigan 39, Ohio State 35 – Halftime
Ohio State makes a poor crosscourt pass out of the timeout and it is stolen by Elliott Cadeau who attacks the rim and is fouled. He makes both free throws. Bruce Thornton is able to hit a floater at the halftime whistle and the Buckeyes are down four at halftime.
Michigan 37, Ohio State 33 – :30 Left in the first half
Bruce comes out of the time out and makes both free throws to cut the Michigan lead to four. Morez misses a fade away jumper and Bruce once again backs down Cadeau but isn’t able to convert. Bynum hits a three pointer and brings the lead to three again. Cadeau misses a floater but Bruce Thornton travels giving the ball back to the Wolverines. Gayle Junior gets an offensive rebound and is able to put the ball back in. Bruce Thornton hits a three right before a shot clock violation and the Wolverines miss their own three pointer. The Buckeyes take another wide open three but aren’t able to convert. Mara answers on the other end and a timeout is called by Michigan.
Michigan 31, Ohio State 25 – 3:51 left in the first half
A thunderous dunk by Yaxel is followed by a nice three point shot from John Mobley Jr on the other end. Mara makes a basket around the rim and Noel answers on the other side. Noel picks up a foul. Yaxel misses the three and Bruce Thornton storms down the field and makes a pump fake short jumper. Bruce then steals the ball and is able to draw a foul on Elliot Cadeau.
Michigan 27, Ohio State 18 – 7:06 left in the first half
John Mobley Jr has a nice bucket at the rim and gets his first points on the board. Michigan turns the ball over and there’s another time out. If Oho State wants to make this game competitive they are going to have to start hitting shots, currently shooting 6-19 from the field.
Michigan 25, Ohio State 14 – 8:21 left in the first half
Christoph Tilly makes one of two free throws out of the break. A couple missed shots by both teams leads to a 5-0 Michigan run and Ohio State calls a time out.
Michigan 20, Ohio State 11 – 11:11 left in the first half
An Ohio State turnover out of the timeout leads to a Trey McKenney three pointer. Bynum picks up his second found of the first half and heads to the bench. Christopher Tilly is able to draw a foul on Will Tschetter and converts both free throws. Ohio State draws an offensive foul on Aday Mara setting a screen. Devin Royal converts and Ohio State gets within 6. A tie up on the Michigan end leads into a jump ball which gives the ball back to Ohio State. A couple traded misses by both teams eventually leads to a Bruce Thornton bucket. Ohio State still continues to struggle from the field shooting 4/14 for 28.6% while the Wolverines are shooting 7/10 for 70%.
Michigan 10, Ohio State 5 – 15:54 left in the first half
Michigan wins the tip and pass the ball around the perimeter until they find Morez Johnson Jr for an easy bucket. Ohio State has a quick possession and Morez answers again with a jumper from the corner free throw line. A missed 3-pointer leads to a 3-pointer by Nimari Burnett and it is 7-0 Michigan less than two minutes into the game. Bruce Thornton gets the Buckeyes on the scoreboard with an offensive rebound put back. Yaxel Lendeborg draws a foul on on Amare Bynum and makes one of two. Devin Royal answers with a three for the Buckeyes. Morez gets his third basket of the game.
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What channel is Ohio State vs. Michigan on today?
Ohio State-Michigan will be televised on BTN. Jeff Levering will bring the play-by-play, Don MacLean with the color commentary, and Rick Pizzo on the sideline call, live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The game can be heard on the Ohio State radio network with Paul Keels (play-by-play) and Ronnie Stokes (analyst) calling the game from the home of the Chicago Bulls.
Ohio State vs. Michigan game time today
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs Michigan Big Ten Tournament instant reaction, highlights
Reporting by Sunny Verma, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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