Ohio State no longer controls its own destiny to earn the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Buckeyes (22-7, 13-3) suffered their second consecutive loss on Sunday, marking the first time since November that Ohio State has lost back-to-back games, as Michigan scored a 74-62 win over its rivals on the Wolverines' Senior Day at the Crisler Center.
Ohio State's Jae'Sean Tate had his best game of the season on Sunday, scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for the Buckeyes as Muhammad-Ali Abdul-Rakhman (17), Jordan Poole (15), Zavier Simpson (13) and Moritz Wagner (12) each scored in double figures to lead the Wolverines to victory.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #8 OHIO STATE | 28 | 34 | 62 |
| #22 MICHIGAN | 33 | 39 | 74 |
Sunday's game was a back-and-forth affair for most of the first half, with the lead changing hands eight times and neither team leading by more than four in the game's first 13 minutes and 55 seconds, but Ohio State never regained the lead after the Wolverines went on a 9-0 run to take a 26-18 lead with just over five minutes to play in the first half.
Michigan ultimately took a 33-28 lead into the break as Ohio State turned the ball over nine times in the first half, including four turnovers on its first five possessions, and Keita Bates-Diop struggled to get going offensively, making only one of his first six shot attempts and one of his first four free throws.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | POINTS | 74 |
| 24-58 (41.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 25-52 (48.1%) |
| 5-11 (45.5%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7-20 (35.0%) |
| 9-19 (47.4%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 17-24 (70.8%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 7 |
| 40 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 15 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 4 |
| 25 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 26 |
| 6 | BENCH POINTS | 26 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 5 | STEALS | 6 |
| 8 | ASSISTS | 12 |
Ohio State had its opportunities to get back into the game in the second half, cutting Michigan's lead to two in the first four minutes after the break. The Buckeyes had too many missed scoring opportunities late in the game, however – failing to make a single shot from the field for a stretch of more than six minutes – allowing the Wolverines to ultimately pull away and win the game by 12.
Bates-Diop finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds, but made only five of 17 field goal attempts, while no other Buckeye scored more than eight points. Ohio State outrebounded Michigan, 40 to 30, but made only nine of 19 total free throw attempts and finished with 14 total turnovers, while the Wolverines only had seven turnovers.
Ohio State will look to get back in the win column when the Buckeyes hold their own Senior Day on Tuesday, when they play their final home game of the year at Value City Arena at 7 p.m. against Rutgers.
