Though Ohio State won the football national championship last night kicking off a wild celebration in Columbus, it was Michigan who looked hungover as the basketball Buckeyes unleashed a 71-52 whooping on a lethargic Wolverine squad tonight in the Schott.
| 1 | 2 | FINAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 39 | 32 | 71 |
| MICHIGAN | 24 | 28 | 52 |
Already leading Michigan by 15 at intermission, Ohio State opened the 2nd half with a 13-0 blitz to take a commanding 52-24 lead with 13:28 to play.
The decisive run saw the Buckeye defense force 13 straight missed shots and three turnovers before Michigan finally broke through with a bucket over six minutes into the 2nd half.
It was semantics from there as Ohio State coasted to victory behind 21 points and six assists from D'Angelo Russell, 10 points from Sam Thompson and 10 points and five boards from Amir Wiliams.
The win improved Ohio State to 14-4 overall and 3-2 in league play.
The stat sheet was straight dominance as the Buckeyes posted a 19-2 edge in fast break points, an 11-2 advantage in steals and a 36-20 cushion in points in the paint.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | POINTS | 52 |
| 28-57 (49%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 20-59 (34%) |
| 5-18 (28%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-26 (23%) |
| 10-14 (71%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 6-6 (100%) |
| 9 | TURNOVERS | 13 |
| 36 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 33 |
| 10 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 26 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 21 |
| 15 | BENCH POINTS | 19 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 11 | STEALS | 2 |
| 20 | ASSISTS | 8 |
| 19 | PTS OFF TURNOVERS | 8 |
| 19 | FAST-BREAK POINTS | 2 |
| 13 | SECOND-CHANCE POINTS | 7 |
| 36 | POINTS IN PAINT | 20 |
Michigan shot just 34% from the floor, missing 20 of 26 three-point tries, with 13 turnovers while the Buckeyes connected on 49% of their field goal tries, assisting on 20 of 28 buckets.
The Buckeyes took a 39-24 lead into the locker room thanks to a 21-5 run that turned a 12-9 deficit into a 30-17 bulge with 5:19 to play. Matta's squad dominated every statistical category including a 13-4 edge in points off turnovers, an 18-6 edge in points in the paint and a 10-2 advantage in 2nd chance points thanks to eight offensive rebounds.
Ohio State shot a pedestrian 45% from the floor during the opening 20 minutes but held Michigan to 37% shooting with eight turnovers largely attributed to six Buckeye steals.
Russell paced the attack in the early going with 10 points and five assists with Thompson adding eight points and three boards. Jae'Sean Tate continued to solid play off the pine with six points and three rebounds in just eight minutes. Ohio State posted a 21-13 cushion on the backboards with Amir and McDonald pulling down four each.
The Buckeyes take the court next this Saturday in Iowa City at 2:00 p.m. as they look to avenge a 71-65 loss to the Hawkeyes in the B1G opener back on December 30th.
